Biography

Throughout their brief existence, the quirky British combo Blue Zoo juggled various musical styles with gleeful abandon. Formed in England in 1980, Blue Zoo released their first single, "I Shoot Sheep," under the moniker Modern Jazz. Featuring Andy O (vocals), Tim Parry (guitar), Mike Ansell (bass), and Micky Sparrow (drums), Blue Zoo shifted from post-punk gloom to jubilant synth-pop to offbeat funk on their 1983 debut album Two by Two, with only O's flamboyant, high-pitched vocals linking the tracks together. The vigorous dance song "Cry Boy Cry" catapulted Blue Zoo onto BBC TV, but tracks like "Open Up" and "Love Moves in Strange Ways" revealed the group's versatility. The mechanical rhythms and robotic singing of "Open Up" suggests the influence of early Wire, while "Love Moves in Strange Ways," a breakup tale told with ghostly keyboards, brittle acoustic guitars, and O's plaintive wailing, unearthed the band's darker side. Elements of the Associates, XTC, and New Order are tossed into Blue Zoo's stylistic soup on Two by Two. The group produced a final single, the relentlessly upbeat "Somewhere in the World There's a Cowboy Smiling," during mid 1983 and parted ways in the same year. ~ Michael Sutton, Rovi Fast forward to 2010 and the band reform with Tom E Morrison on guitar. Cherry Red release 2x2 on CD with B-side extras. The band tour the Philippines & in 2016, the catchy, rhythmically hypnotic, Funganista, BZ’s first single in 33 years is released on Spotify & iTunes.