Biography

Post-punk outfit Higsons formed in 1980 at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England -- so named in honor of frontman Charlie "Switch" Higson, the roster also included guitarists Terry Edwards and Stuart McGeachin, bassist Colin Williams and drummer Simon Charterton. Honing an energetic, funk-influenced approach clearly indebted to the Talking Heads, the group issued its debut single "I Don't Want to Live With Monkeys" on the Romans in Britain label in 1981 -- later that same year, Higsons formed their own label, Waap, to issue the not-coincidentally-titled "It Goes Waap." After resurfacing in 1982 with "Conspiracy," the band signed to the famed Two Tone label for "Tear the Whole Thing Down," followed in 1983 by "Run Me Down." Higsons briefly returned to Waap for "Push Out the Boat" before signing to Upright for 1984's "Music to Watch Girls By," the debut single from their first-ever LP, Curse of the Higsons. The group's quirky, bleak sense of humor clearly impressed kindred spirit Robyn Hitchcock, who recorded the tribute "Listening to the Higsons" on his 1985 live effort Gotta Let This Hen Out! -- beyond a devoted cult following, however, Higsons never experienced anything approaching commercial success, and in the wake of 1985's "Take It," the band dissolved. A retrospective singles compilation Attack of the Cannibal Zombie Businessmen followed on Waap in 1987, while in 1998 the Hux label compiled their BBC sessions on It's a Wonderful Life. By that time Switch Higson was well known to BBC television audiences for his work as an actor and writer on the hit comedy The Fast Show -- while Edwards enjoyed a busy and far-ranging career as a session musician; Charterton later played with Aftershave, and McGeachin and Williams left show business altogether. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi