Biography

Straddling the gap separating pub rock and power pop, the Kursaal Flyers managed to score one hit while they were active in the mid-'70s -- the Phil Spector-ish rush of 1976's "Little Does She Know" -- but their albums Chocs Away and Golden Mile endured as cult favorites, their status elevated by how the group's members went onto successful careers after the band's demise. Vocalist Paul Shuttleworth pursued a solo act and Will Birch went on to the Records alongside a separate career as a music journalist, which was enough to sustain fan interest for the band to reunite in 1988 for A Former Tour de Force Is Forced to Tour. Comprised of Paul Shuttleworth (vocals), Graeme Douglas (guitar), Vic Collins (guitar, steel guitar, vocals), Riche Bull (bass, vocals), and Will Birch (drums), the Kursaal Flyers released their first album, Chocs Away, in 1975; it was followed soon afterward by The Great Artiste. Both records showed a grasp of country and roots rock, as well as pure pop. The band would begin to emphasize their pop elements with 1976's Golden Mile, released by CBS Records. The union with the major label helped the single "Little Does She Know" reach the British Top 20. Douglas left to join Eddie & the Hot Rods before the recording of the group's final album, Five Live Kursaals (1977); he was replaced by Barry Martin. The band broke up after the release of the punk- and power pop-injected Five Live Kursaals. Out of the members, only Will Birch and John Wicks stayed active -- they formed the Records immediately after the Kursaal Flyers' disbandment. The Kursaal Flyers got together in 1988 and recorded A Former Tour de Force Is Forced to Tour, which picks up right where they left off in 1977. The Kursaals didn't reunite after A Former Tour de Force Is Forced to Tour, but their cult popularity persisted long enough to see their complete recorded works released by Cherry Red in 2020 as Little Does She Know. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi