The Higsons

== Biography ==
Punk-funk group formed in 1980 at the UEA (University of East Anglia). The Higsons' first recording was on the Norwich - A Fine City compilation album and they would gain a substantial cult following after being championed by Radio 1's John Peel and David Jensen. 
They founded Waap Records, but also recorded for Romans In Britain, 2 Tone, Upright Records and R4. 
The first single, "I Don't Want to Live with Monkeys", was released in 1981. The band's blend of high-energy funk and groove brought them success gigging widely and flirting with the charts. An album, The Curse Of the Higsons, appeared in 1984, preceded by the single Music To Watch Girls By which reached #83 in the UK singles chart. Efforts were made to record a second album, but a lack of commerical headway and a desire on the part of several members to pursue other projects, led to the band splitting in 1986.After the band split, Charlie Higson became Charlie Higson comedy writer and actor of Fast show fame. Terry Edwards (who also appeared in Serious Drinking) went on to do loads of stuff and is still writing and performing. Simon Charterton formed Camden band The Aftershave and in alsowrote the libretto for their opera/musical The Reader's Wife in 2005.
== Members ==
Charlie Higson - Lead vocals, harmonica, piano
Terry Edwards - Guitar, trumpet, saxophone, piano, vocals
Simon Charterton - Drums, vocals
Dave Cummings - Guitar, vocals
Colin Williams - Bass guitar, vocals
Stuart McGeachin - Guitar, vocals
== Discography ==
===Singles===
[7"] I Don’t Want To Live With Monkeys! / Insect Love (1981 Romans In Britian HIG2) 
[7"] The Lost And The Lonely / It Goes Waap! (1981 Waap Records WAAP 1)
[12”] Got To Let This Heat Out / It Goes Waap! [version] (1981 Waap Records 12 WAAP 1)
- Both of the above are WAAP 1 despite having different A sides. 
[7"] Conspiracy / Touchdown (1982 Waap Records WAAP 2)
[7"] Tear The Whole Thing Down / Ylang Ylang (1982 2 Tone Records CHS TT 21)
[7"] Run Me Down / Put The Punk Back Into Funk Parts I & II (1983 2 Tone records CHS TT 24)
[12”] Run Me Down (long version) / (instrumental) / Put The Punk Back Into Funk Parts I & II (1983 2 Tone Records CHS TT 12 24)
[7"] Push Out The Boat / Round and Round (pub mix) (1983 Waap Records Waap 4)
[12”] Push Out The Boat (extended) / Round and Round (pub mix) (1983 Waap Records 12 Waap 4)
[7"] Music To Watch Girls By / Lying On The Telephone (1984 Upright Records UP 9)
[12”] Music To Watch Boys By (12” version) / Lying On The Telephone / Clanking My Bucket (live at the Lyceum) / I Don’t Want To Live With Monkeys (live at the Lyceum) (1984 Upright Records UPT 9)
[7"] Take It / I Walk The Land (live) (1985 R4 Records FOR 2)
[12”] Take It (extended) / I Walk The Land (live) / Take It (instrumental) (1985 R4 Records 12 FOR 2)
===Studio album===
Curse of the Higsons (1984) - Upright Records. 
-Where Have All the Club-A-Go-Gos Went Went? / The Junk Keeps Piling Up / Ice Age / Heat [new version of "Got To Let This Heat Out"] / Push out The Boat / One World / Music To Watch Girls By / Gangway / Born Blind / Annie and Billy / Run Me Down [12" version] 
Expanded 3CD edition as The Complete Curse of the Higsons on Cherry Red, 2013 with additional tracks 
- Tear The Whole Thing Down / Ylang Ylang / Run Me Down (7") / Put the Punk Back Into Funk Parts I + II / Run Me Down (instrumental) / Push Out The Boat (extended) / Round and Round (extended) / Music To Watch Boys By / Lying On The Telephone / Take It (demo) / I Walk The Land (live) / Where have All The Club-A-Go-Gos Went Went? (raw mix) / Heat (raw mix) / Born Blind (raw mix) / A Dash To The Shops (raw mix)
...and the Live at the Jacquard and Live at the Lyceum sets as below.
Download editions of the album have at various times also included the Swiss radio version of Run Me Down (now available on the June 1, 1984 live album) and a demo version of Put The Punk Back Into Funk.
===Live albums===
Live at the Jacquard (1983) - Limited cassette on Chaos Tapes. Later included on The Complete Curse of the Higsons.
- Insect Love / It Goes Waap! / Surrender / The Lost & The Lonely / Got To Let This Heat Out / Where Have All The Club-A-Go-Gos Went Went? / Dash To The Shops / Touchdown / Conspiracy / Crash / I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys / My Love Is Bent (At Both Ends) / We Will Never Grow Old
Live From London (2016) - Soundtrack from a gig at Camden Palace filmed for ITV in 1984, the film is also on DVD and streaming.
- Clanking My Bucket / Gangway / The Junk Keeps Piling Up / I Can Hear Voices / Annie & Billy / Music To Watch Girls By / Where Have All The Club A-Go-Go's Went Went / Got To Let This Heat Out / 1958 / Keep The Fire Alight / Run Me Down / Ice Age / Touchdown / I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys / Push Out The Boat / Put The Funk Back Into Punk 
Live At the Lyceum (2020) - Separate release of a live set from 1984, originally released on The Complete Curse of the Higsons.
- Clanking My Bucket / The Junk Keeps Piling Up / Push the Boat Out / Run Me Down / I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys
June 1, 1984 (2023) - Sartorial Records. A set performed live on Swiss radio. 
- Clanking My Bucket / Born Blind / Run Me Down / The Junk Keeps Piling Up / I Can Hear Voices / 1958 / Heat / Gangway / Do The Jerk / I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys
===Compilation albums===
Attack of the Cannibal Zombie Businessmen (1987) - the pre-2 Tone singles plus recordings made for the never-completed second album - Waap Records
- I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys / Insect love / It Goes Waap! (7" version) / The Lost And The Lonely / Got To Let This Heat out / Conspiracy / Touchdown / Them Changes / Same Song / Keep The Fire Alight / Summer Rain / Slime, Shrew, Monkey, Man / Attack of the Cannibal Zombie Businessmen / Take It (7" version) / I Walk The Land [last two tracks not on original vinyl LP]
It's a Wonderful Life - compilation album of BBC Radio 1 sessions, Hux Records (1998)
- I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys / Got To Let This Heat Out / A Dash to the Shops / Surrender / The Lost And The Lonely / (My Love Is) Bent (At Both Ends) / It Goes Waap! / Crash / We Will Never Grow Old / Touchdown / Ha! Ha! / Burn The Whole Thing Down / Music To Watch Girls By / Push Out The Boat / Clanking My Bucket / Attack of the Cannibal Zombie Businessmen / I Can Hear Voices / Do The Jerk / Walk On Water / 1958 / It's A Wonderful Life
Hot Cakes (2020) - Sartorial Records. Download-only.
- It Goes Waap!!! (12" version) / Got To Let This Heat Out (12" version) / Push Out The Boat (12" version) / I Can't Get Next To You [collaboration with Popular Voice and The Farmer's Boys as The Popular Higson Boys] / Music To Watch Boys By (Spanish edit) / Take It (12" version)
I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys: The Demos (2023) - Sartorial Records download. Demos and compilation tracks. 
- I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys! (demo) / We Will Never Grow Old [from Norwich - a Fine City] / Insect Love (demo) / (My Love is) Bent (At Both Ends) [from Norwich - a Fine City] / I Had A Dream
=== Other Appearances ===
LP "Norwich A Fine City" (Romans In Britain 1981) includes My Love Is Bent (At Both Ends) / We Will Never Grow Old 
CD Terry Edwards "No Fish Is Too Weird For Her Aquarium" (Stim Records 1994) includes Our Day Now 
CD Terry Edwards "Ontogeny (No Fish Is Too Weird For Her Aquarium Vol II)" (Sartorial Records 2000) includes I Had A Dream 
=== BBC Radio Sessions ===
(Tracks marked with an asterisk * were later released on the compilation It's A Wonderful Life) 
John Peel, 1 June 1981: I Don't Want To Live With Monkeys* / Got To Let This Heat Out* / A Dash to the Shops* / Surrender* 
Richard Skinner, 27 August 1981: The Lost And The Lonely* / (My Love Is) Bent (At Both Ends)* / It Goes Waap!* / Crash* 
John Peel, 4 November 1981: We Will Never Grow Old* / Conspiracy / Where Have All the Club-A-Go-Gos Went Went? / Touchdown* 
David Jensen, 26 April 1982: Ha! Ha!* / Born Blind / Our Day Now / Ylang Ylang / Burn The Whole Thing Down* 
John Peel, 11 October 1982: John Peel's New Sig Tune / Run Me Down / Gangway / Annie and Billy / Put The Punk Back Into Funk 
David Jensen, 6 December 1982: Somethin' Gud / Where Have All the Club-A-Go-Gos Went Went? / Music To Watch Girls By* / One World 
John Peel, 22 June 1983: Push Out The Boat* / Clanking My Bucket* / Round and Round / Attack of the Cannibal Zombie Businessmen* 
David Jensen, 20 December 1983: I Can Hear Voices* / The Junk Keeps Piling Up / Ice Age / Do The Jerk* 
John Peel, 25 June 1984: Walk On Water* / 1958* / Keep The Fire Alight / It's A Wonderful Life* 
Category:1980s
Category:Band