The Mothmen
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Dave Rowbotham, Chris Joyce, Tony Bowers, Bob Harding |
| Defunct | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Manchester , England |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
The Mothmen were an English post-punk ensemble formed circa 1979 by Dave Rowbotham, Chris Joyce, and Tony Bowers following their departure from The Durutti Column. They were joined by Bob Harding, formerly the vocalist for Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias.
History
In 1978, Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus established The Durutti Column, which initially consisted of guitarists Vini Reilly and Dave Rowbotham, bassist Tony Bowers, drummer Chris Joyce, and singer Phil Rainford. After contributing two tracks to the compilation A Factory Sample, the group’s lineup was reduced to Reilly and Bowers when Rowbotham and Joyce left to create The Mothmen alongside Harding. The founding members of The Mothmen included Joyce on drums; Bowers handling guitar, bass, vocals, violin, and percussion; Rowbotham on guitar and bass; and Harding covering bass, organ, guitar, vocals, and percussion. Their first single, titled "Does It Matter Irene?", was issued in 1979 through Absurd Records.
By early 1980, having recorded a full album’s worth of material without label support, The Mothmen signed with On-U Sound—a new label managed by Adrian Sherwood. Their 1981 release, Pay Attention!, became the second album issued by On-U Sound. The band took charge of production and arrangements themselves, with Sherwood’s role limited to providing a dub mix for "Afghan Farmer Driving Cattle," which appeared on On-U's compilation Wild Paarty Sounds Volume 1. Concurrently, Joyce performed drums for London Underground and contributed to Judy Nylon’s track "Pal Judy" under On-U Sound.
Subsequently, The Mothmen transitioned to Do-It Records. During this period, Rowbotham was replaced by Ronnie Hardman on bass and Charlie Griffiths on synthesizers. This lineup produced several singles along with the album One Black Dot before disbanding in early 1982.
Following the dissolution of The Mothmen, Joyce and Bowers found commercial success as the rhythm section for Simply Red between 1984 and 1989. Adrian Sherwood maintained connections with them through remix work on Simply Red’s 12" singles for "Holding Back the Years" and "Infidelity," as well as participating in their 1997 rendition of Gregory Isaacs' "Night Nurse" via collaboration with Sly & Robbie.
In 1991, original guitarist Dave Rowbotham was tragically killed. Tony Bowers currently divides his activities between Italy and Ireland while pursuing various musical endeavors. Details about Chris Joyce’s career after Simply Red can be found in his biography at Chris Joyce School of Drums.
Studio albums
- Pay Attention! (On-U Sound, 1981)
- One Black Dot (Do It, 1982)
Singles
- "Does It Matter Irene?" (Absurd, 1979)
- "Show Me Your House and Car" (Do It, 1981)
- "Temptation" (Do It, 1981)
- "Wadada" (Do It, 1982)