Factory Records: TUNNELVISION
Active between 1980 and 1982, youthful Blackpool band Tunnelvision released just one single (Watching the Hydroplanes) on Factory Records, produced by Martin Hannett. Yet their studio demos and live tapes reveal a group of considerable promise and power.
Perhaps the most obscure of the early Factory bands, youthful Blackpool group Tunnelvision performed just seventeen gigs, cut a solitary single, and suffered the indignity of being slated as 'spineless heavy metal' by the NME. Yet as their live and demo recordings reveal, Tunnelvision had far more to offer.
The group first came together as The Pose at Blackpool Roman Catholic School early in 1979, initially to perform Clash and Buzzcocks covers. The first stable line-up comprised vocalist Chris Shea, guitarist Chris Anderton, drummer Phil Barnard and bassist Paul Swindles. As their music matured beyond primitive three-chord thrash, The Pose became Tunnelvision early in 1980, after Shea decided to leave.
Following a re-shuffle Chris Anderton took over on vocals and cast around for a suitable second guitarist, eventually settling on Andrew Leeming, a teenage protege of sage Section 25 guitarist Paul Wiggin. As a result the Sections decided to mentor Tunnelvision, much as they had earlier been mentored by Joy Division.
Line-up
TONY ASHWORTH
CHRIS ATHERTON
IAN BUTTERWORTH
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- FAC 39 TUNNELVISION Watching the Hydroplanes[FCLUK, FIRST50, TUNNELVISION, SINGLE, 7-INCH, Design: MARTYN ATKINS]
- FACT 334 VARIOUS ARTISTS Palatine The Factory Story / Vol. 3 [FCLUK, ALBUM, LP, CD, CASSETTE, COMPILATION, VARIOUS ARTISTS, JOHN MACKLIN, JOY DIVISION, TUNNELVISION, THE DISTRACTIONS, THE WAKE, STOCKHOLM MONSTERS, HAPPY MONDAYS, NEW ORDER, THE RAILWAY CHILDREN, THE DURUTTI COLUMN, MIAOW, REVENGE, JAMES-BAND]
- FACT 400 Various Artists Palatine The Factory Story / 1979-1990[FCLUK, ALBUM, CD, LP, CASSETTE, JOHN MACKLIN, 52ND STREET, A CERTAIN RATIO, CABARET VOLTAIRE, CATH CARROLL, ELECTRONIC, ESG, FADELA, HAPPY MONDAYS, JAMES-BAND, JOY DIVISION, KALIMA, MARCEL KING, MIAOW, NEW ORDER, NORTHSIDE, OMD, QUANDO QUANGO, REVENGE, SECTION 25, STEVE MARTLAND, STOCKHOLM MONSTERS, THE DISTRACTIONS, THE DURUTTI COLUMN, THE RAILWAY CHILDREN, THE WAKE, THE WENDYS, TUNNELVISION, X-O-DUS]