Big Self

Big Self was an indie rock band from Northern Ireland formed in 1979, with the original line-up consisting of Bernard Tohill on vocals and guitar, Patmo Sheeran also on guitar, Jim Nicholl on bass, and Michael Morris on drums. They were all at university/art college when they got together, and being slightly older than many of the very young punk bands on the scene, their music had a wider and different set of influences such as The Doors, David Bowie, and Talking Heads. 
Bernard and Patmo both came from the Falls Road, while Michael and Jim came from neighbouring areas of West Belfast. When Jim left the band temporarily for personal reasons in 1980, Brendan Donnelly joined on bass and played on the band’s first release, Snakes and Ladders, which featured on the Energy Records Room To Move EP released that year. (Brendan later played in the Trial with Gordy Blair, who joined Big Self on saxaphone after notable stints as bass player first with Rudi, and then The Outcasts). 
Jim rejoined the band in ‘81, this time on guitar, with Patmo moving to bass. As well as playing at Northern venues such as The Harp, The Pound, Kellys of Portrush, the Devonshire Arms in Bangor and so on, Big Self played regularly in Dublin, and their early gigs at Dublin’s Magnet Bar on Pease Street (now the Widow Scallans) led to the band being invited to record a track in Dundalk for inclusion on the Nien-Teen-Eigth-Tease Boddis’ EP released in ‘81. The band’s set consisted of almost entirely original material from the beginning, with the inclusion of a couple of covers by the Doors and XTC.
(read more on Spit Records)
==Links to Peel==
BBC Radio One’s John Peel and David ‘Kid’ Jensen championed the band's early 80's releases; both DJ's invited the band to record sessions for their shows, which Big Self travelled to London to record in the same weekend in the summer of 1980. Further material from the group were played by Peel until 1985 on his radio programmes, including a session they recorded for his programme in 1982. Peel was at the Ulster Hall in Belfast in April 1982 on the night where Outcasts, Moondogs, Ruefrex, Rudi, and Big Self were performing.
==Sessions==
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1. Recorded: 1982-01-16. First Broadcast: 01 February 1982. Repeated: 08 March 1982
*When The Wind Blows / Don't Turn Around / You're Not Afraid / Supervisor
==Other Shows Played==
;1980
*26 March 1980: Snakes And Ladders (Various Artists EP - Room To Move) Energy With Good Vibrations
*12 April 1980 (BFBS): Snakes And Ladders (v/a 7" - Room To Move) Energy
*28 April 1980: Snakes And Ladders (EP various artists - Room To Move) Energy
;thumb|220x220px1981
*23 September 1981: Surprise Surprise (7") Reekus 
*27 September 1981 (BFBS): Surprise Surprise (7") Reekus
*04 October 1981 (BFBS): Surprise Surprise (7") Reekus
*05 November 1981: Surprise, Surprise (7") Reekus
;1982
*03 March 1982: Don't Turn Around (7") Reekus
*11 March 1982: Don't Turn Around (7") Reekus
*14 March 1982 (BFBS): Don't Turn Around (7") Reekus
;1984
*21 March 1984: Ghost Shirts (7") Reekus
*09 April 1984 (BBC World Service): Ghost Shirts (7") Reekus 
*17 April 1984: Ghost Shirts (7") Reekus
*18 April 1984 (BFBS): Ghost Shirts (7") Reekus 
;1985
*09 September 1985 (BBC World Service): Don't Turn Around (LP - Stateless) Reekus 
*30 September 1985: Vision (7") Reekus
*05 November 1985: Don't Turn Around (album - Stateless) Reekus
== See Also ==
*Gigography 1980
==External Links==
*Spit Records
*Discogs
Category:Artists