Biography

The Escalators were a short-lived British rock outfit led by guitarist Nigel Lewis and drummer Mark Robertson, who formed the group in 1982 after leaving the Meteors, the influential U.K. psychobilly act fronted by Paul Fenech. Looking for a more diverse musical landscape than the warped rockabilly approach of the Meteors, Lewis and Robertson were joined by bassist Bart Coles and guitarist/drummer Woodie Taylor, and adopted a sound that fused elements of rockabilly, garage rock, and psychedelia into a sinister but expressive sonic brew. After putting out a couple of singles, the Escalators released their first album, Moving Staircases, through Big Beat in 1983, but it soon proved to also be the group's last, as the band broke up by the end of the year. Lewis and Robertson continued on, playing hard-edged garage rock with their new group, the Tall Boys, formed shortly after the Escalators called it a day. Due to Lewis and Robertson's following among fans of off-center British rock, Moving Staircases was given a reissue on CD by Big Beat in 2006. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi