The La's
The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single "There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Badger in 1983 and Mavers joined the next year, although for most of the group's history, the frequently changing line-up revolved around the core duo of Lee Mavers (vocals, guitar) and John Power (bass, backing vocals) along with numerous other guitarists and drummers including Paul Hemmings, John "Timmo" Timson, Peter "Cammy" Cammell, Iain Templeton, John "Boo" Byrne, Chris Sharrock, and Neil Mavers.
The La's
Liverpool, England
1983–1992, 1994–1995, 2005, 2011
Lee Mavers
Neil Mavers
Phil Butcher
John "Timmo" Timson
Jim "Jasper" Fearon
Bernie Nolan
Tony Clarke
Paul Rhodes
John Power
Barry Walsh
Paul Hemmings
Mark Birchall
Sean Eddleston
Peter "Cammy" Cammell
Iain Templeton
John "Boo" Byrne
Chris Sharrock
Mike Badger
James Joyce
Lee Garnett
Jay Lewis
Nick Miniski
Gary Murphy
After the departure of Badger in late 1986, the band signed to Go! Discs in 1987 and started recording their debut album. Following the release of singles "Way Out" (1987), "There She Goes" (1988) and "Timeless Melody" (1990) and having aborted several recording sessions with different producers, the band released their debut album, The La's, in 1990 to critical acclaim and modest commercial success. John Power left The La's to form Cast and the group entered a prolonged hiatus in 1992. The group later reformed briefly in the mid-1990s, 2005 and 2011. However, no new recordings have been released.
History[edit]
1983–1986: Formation and early years[edit]
The La's formed in 1983, with original member Mike Badger stating that the band name occurred to him in a dream, as well as it being Scouse for "lads", and having obvious musical connotations. The band existed briefly as an arthouse/skiffle-type outfit with a few tracks released on local compilations. Lee Mavers joined in 1984 as rhythm guitarist, eventually gaining songwriting prominence and emerging as the band's enduring figurehead. Bernie Nolan, accomplished musician formerly of the Falcons, The Russian Rockabillys and The Swampmen was the original bassist. John Power joined the group in 1986, having met Badger on a local council-run musicianship course. Badger left the group in late 1986 to form the Onset.[3]
The band attracted the attention of several record labels after a series of performances in their hometown in 1986, and demo tapes copied from a session at the Flying Picket rehearsal studio in Liverpool began circulating. One of these demo tapes was sent to Underground Magazine. A journalist there with the task of reviewing unsigned bands gave the cassette to Andy McDonald at Go Discs. Several record labels later became interested in signing the band. The band chose to sign with Go! Discs.
Musical style and legacy[edit]
Lee Mavers has described their sound as "rootsy"[25] and "raw and organic",[26] whilst AllMusic have noted the band's "simple, tuneful, acoustic-driven arrangements".[27] The La's were also noted for their distinctly different style to other popular British bands in the late 1980s, such as the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays,[26][27] who were part of the Madchester movement.
The sound of the La's has been compared to that of Merseybeat and 1960s British rock music,[27] and the band received comparisons with the earlier Liverpudlian band the Beatles.[28][29] Founding member Mike Badger has named Captain Beefheart as the La's' main influence; the band have also cited artists such as Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong,[30] the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks,[31] Bob Marley,[26] Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix,[29] Duke Ellington,[32] and Ella Fitzgerald[33] as influences.
Pitchfork named The La's as one of the best Britpop albums, placing the album at #14 in their 50 Best Britpop Albums list.[34] Noel Gallagher of Oasis named it as one of his 13 favourite albums,[35] and they have been cited as an influence by the Courteeners, the Stone Roses, the Charlatans, the Libertines and the 1975.
Post-La's activities[edit]
Bassist John Power went on to form Cast in 1992, releasing 4 studio albums before splitting in 2001. Guitarists Barry Sutton and Peter Cammell featured in an early lineup of the band. Cast reformed in 2010. In 2016, Jay Lewis who performed with the band in 2005, later joined Cast as bassist.
Mike Badger and Paul Hemmings later played together in the Onset and started The Viper Label, releasing many early recording compilations by the La's.
In the mid-'90s, Neil Mavers joined Liverpool group Bullit, featuring David McDonnell, later of the Sand Band.
In 1998, Cammell and drummer Neil Mavers continued to work together after the La's' breakup under the name Cami. The band was managed by former La's and then-current Cast manager, Rob Swerdlow. The band recorded a nine-track album with future Coldplay producer Ken Nelson at Parr Street Studios in October 1999, but the band split up leaving the album unreleased. The album tapes re-surfaced in October 2015, with plans for a near-future release. The tapes required "baking" to remove layers of oxide that had formed on them after twenty years; this was carried out at London's FX Copyroom.
Neil Mavers and Cammell briefly reunited once more in 2002, performing with another former La's member, guitarist Barry Sutton in Heavy Lemon. The band played three shows in 18 months before disbanding. Cammell also performed with Sutton again in his jam-style project Beatnik Hurricane in 2015, playing dates in Liverpool, including residencies at The Everyman Bistro and a tour of Ireland, most notably a sold-out show in Dublin.
In 2015, previous recordings and demos by Cammell's band surfaced online (most notably the song "Make A Chain"), which led to Cammell forming a new band named Cami & the Reverbs, managed by La's associate Chris Parkes. The band consisted of Mick Marshall (guitar, the Joneses) Phil Murphy (drums, the Red Elastic Band) Leon De Sylva (drums, Electrafixion), Daniel Lunt (bass), David 'Swee' Sweeney (drums, the Bandits), and Mark McInnes (bass, the Levons). Cami & the Reverbs played sporadic shows across Liverpool including a support slot with Liverpool group Rain and a Christmas Show at The Zanzibar.
In 2018, a BBC TV comedy-drama series entitled There She Goes features a cover version of the La's song of that name.