Blyth Power are a British rock band formed in 1983 by singer and drummer Joseph Porter, formerly of anarcho-punk bands Zounds and the Mob. The band's music shows strong influences from punk rock and folk music and Porter's lyrics often centre on themes from mythology and history.
The band have released more than a dozen studio albums, since 1993 on their own label Downwarde Spiral Records.
Career Established in 1983 and named after a railway locomotive, the one constant in an ever-shifting lineup has been drummer, vocalist, and songwriter Joseph Porter (real name Gary Hatcher, born 21 February 1962 in Templecombe, Somerset, England), who formed the band with Curtis Youé, another former member of anarcho-punk band The Mob. The band have subsequently been through many line-up changes; their 1990 album Alnwick and Tyne featured Jamie Hince, later of The Kills, on lead guitar.
The band's first release was a cassette, A Little Touch of Harry in the Night, in 1984.
Since 1993, Blyth Power recordings have been released on their own label, Downwarde Spiral. Since 2000 they have cut back on their touring schedule due to various personal commitments, but they have organised an annual mini-festival, the Blyth Power Ashes. The festival takes place in August of each year, and combines live music with a cricket match featuring band members and their associates. From 2011 the event moved to The Plough, in Farcet Fen near Peterborough due to its ever-increasing popularity. From 2015 to 2019, The Ashes took place at The Hunters Inn in Longdon, near Tewkesbury.
Joseph Porter has also been involved with various side-projects, such as doing solo guitarist/vocalist performances and collaborating in two other bands, Red Wedding and Mad Dogs & Englishmen.
Musical style The band's lyrics often deal with episodes from history, ranging from the Trojan War to the Cod Wars, as well as aspects of English culture such as cricket, village life and trains, as well as a lot of politics. Porter is an avowed trainspotter, and in August 1998 the band appeared on the LWT religious affairs television programme Holy Smoke! in a slot in which musicians discussed their individual religions — with trainspotting cited as his religion.
Members Current members + List of current band members Title Details Joseph Porter Joined: 1983 Instrument: Drums, Lead Vocals (sometimes plays acoustic guitar) Annie Hatcher Joined: 1995 Instrument: Keyboards, Harmony Vocals Ben Bailey Joined: 2014 Instrument: Bass Hugo Hatcher Joined: 2019 Instrument: Guitar Dion Lay Joined: 2023 Instrument: Guitar
Former members + List of former band members Title Details Neil Keenan Joined: 1983 Left: 1986 Instrument: Guitar Curtis Youe Joined: 1983 Left: 1986 Instrument: Bass Andy Morgan Joined: 1985 Left: 1986 Instrument: Harmony Vocals Sarah Lewington Joined: 1985 Left: 1986 Instrument: Harmony Vocals Martin "Protag" Neish Joined: 1987 Left: 1998 Instrument: Bass Steve Ardcorr Joined: 1987 Left: 1988 Instrument: Guitar Jamie Hince Joined: 1987 Left: 1990 Instrument: Guitar Sian Jeffreys Joined: 1987 Left: 1988 Instrument: Harmony Vocals Julie Dalkin Joined: 1988 Left: 1990 Instrument: Harmony Vocals Helen Rush Joined: 1988 Left: 1990 Instrument: Harmony Vocals Wob Williams Joined: 1990 Left: 1994 Instrument: Guitar, Harmony Vocals Darren Tansley Joined: 1990 Left: 1995 Instrument: Keyboards, Harmony Vocals John Rutherford Joined: 1994 Left: 1997 Instrument: Guitar, Harmony Vocals Chris Hopkins Joined: 1997 Left: 1998 Instrument: Guitar Andrew "Jessi" Adams Joined: 1998 Left: 2001 Instrument: Guitar Bambi Joined: 1998 Left: 2003 Instrument: Bass Gary Miller Joined: 2001 Left: 2001 Instrument: Guitar Steven Cooper Joined: 2001 Left: 2014 Instrument: Guitar Jerry Hellfire Joined: 2002 Left: 2022 Instrument: Bass (2002-2014), Guitar (2014-2022) Jack Ellis Joined: 2022 Left: 2022 Instrument: Guitar
Timeline
Discography Albums Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions UK Indie A Little Touch of Harry in the Night Released: 1984 Label: 96 Tapes Formats: – Wicked Women, Wicked Men and Wicket Keepers Released: 1987 Label: All the Madmen Records Formats: 6 The Barman and Other Stories Released: 1988 Label: Midnight Music Records Formats: – Alnwick and Tyne Released: 1990 Label: Midnight Music Records Formats: – The Guns of Castle Cary Released: 1991 Label: Midnight Music Records Formats: – Karpov Crosses the Border Released: Recorded 1992, but unreleased until c.2000 Label: Formats: – Pastor Skull Released: 1993 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: – Paradise Razed Released: 1995 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: – Out from Under the King Released: 1996 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: – The Bricklayer's Arms Released: 2000 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: – On the Viking Station Released: 2002 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: – Fall of Iron Released: 2006 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: – Land Sea & Sky Released: 2009 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: – Women and Horses and Power and War Released: 2014 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: – The Power Behind the Throne Released: 2023 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: –
Live albums + List of live albums Title Album details A Rededication of Pastor Skull Released: 1997 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats: Gladly Give to Caesar Released: 1999 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats:
Compilation albums + List of compilation albums Title Album details Pont Au-Dessus de la Brue Released: 1989 Label: Midnight Music Records Formats: Ten Years Inside the Horse Released: 1994 Label: Anagram Records Formats:
Singles + List of singles Title Album details "Chevy Chase" Released: 1985 Label: All the Madmen Records Formats: "Junction Signal" Released: 1986 Label: All the Madmen Records Formats: "Ixion" Released: 1986 Label: All the Madmen Records Formats: "Up from the Country" Released: 1988 Label: Midnight Music Formats: "Goodbye to All That" Released: 1988 Label: Midnight Music Formats: "Better to Bat" Released: 1990 Label: Midnight Music Formats: "A Wild Card to Play" Released: 1995 Label: Downwarde Spiral Records Formats:
Compilation appearances "Reality Asylum" - cover version of the song by Crass on the compilation album You've Heard It All Before (1993)
Related albums When Death Went to Bed with a Lady (1998, Joseph Porter solo album) Going Down with Alice (2000, album by Mad Dogs and Englishmen, including Joseph Porter) Red Wedding (2004, acoustic album by Steven Cooper and Joseph Porter)
Videos Do the One About the Horse (1992) Live in Harlow (1995)
References
External links Blyth Power official site