Tag: great britain

Liverpool-based The Free Zone duo met in a Christian Union at Liverpool University in 1982, bonding over post-punk and especially Londoners, The Clash. Initially called Cross Purposes, The Free Zone wanted to take the energy, urgency, and excitement of punk rock without the music sounding too primitive. The Free Zone was officially born in 1984. The band comprised drummer/sequencer Peter Scarlett and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Tim Thwaites, and played mostly secular venues around their home city, even opening for NW England stalwarts The La’s. They also played a handful of gigs with fellow Liverpudlians, neo-folksters Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus.… Continued →

Heartbeat started in the early 80s as a music ministry extension of Youth for Christ in the United Kingdom. They initially began as a back-up band for solo performers (like Sheila Walsh), but they also performed as their own band, often appearing in schools, colleges, and even serving as a worship band for Christian events and festivals. As such, they paved the way for later, similarly-minded music ministries like World Wide Message Tribe (except that WWMT were dedicated to the Birmingham area, specifically). Heartbeat’s sound was a distinctly European form of synth-pop: sugary sweet and intensely melodic, not at all resembling the post-punk or new wave fusions of some of their synth peers (New Order, Depeche Mode, etc.)… Continued →