Ant Chapman - programming / guitar / backing vocals
Jonny Dawe - bass / programming / backing vocals
Influences
New Kingdom, MC 900FT Jesus, Prince, P-Funk, The Clash, The Fall, Minutemen, Big Audio Dynamite, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Beastie Boys, Joe Meek, The Human League, Super Furry Animals, On-U Sound, Shut Up & Dance etc etc etc
Formed in late 1996 from the ashes of Collapsed Lung.
Ended in mid 2005.
Rough Timeline :
Late 1996 : Collapsed Lung guitarist Steve Harcourt leaves the band due to ill health. Relations with record label Deceptive reach an all-time low when planned single "Ballad Night" (with Bilinda Butcher of My Bloody Valentine) is shelved, even after great reaction from radio. Decision is reached to dissolve the band, to escape the Deceptive deal.
Early 1997 : New three-piece is christened Junior Blanks. The name is a compound of two randomly-generated band names. New material features more actual "singing", and audacious harmony vocals.
Mid 1997 : JBs begin live shows in and around London, augmented by late Collapsed Lung era drummer Jerry Hawkins.
Late 1997 / Early 1998 : Release "All About Beats : F&B Remixes" 12" EP on Fused & Bruised records, with a sister release on City of Angels in the US.
1999 : Recording / mixing of a debut album is completed, provisionally for release on City Of Angels. But the deal falls through. JBs track "Taste" is included on a Plastic Cowboy / Guided Missile "Postcard" split single (alongside Spearmint, Hefner and Penthouse).
Late 1999: The Fortress - home of The Cooler (Collapsed Lung / Junior Blanks studio) closes.
2000 : Limbo. The band is studio-less.
Late 2000 : The Cooler Mk III opens at Praxis N16 in Stoke Newington.
2001-2002 : Sporadic recording takes place. A few tracks from the first album are radically reworked, along with new material featuring more guitars.
2003 : JBs record and release two 7" singles on their own label (Vandelay)- "Tramps Fuzz & Publishers" and "Slobs Are Gods". Sales are, er, non-existent. However, a phone call from the late John Peel to Ant Chapman expressing his love for "Slobs..." makes it all worthwhile... nearly.
2004 : More recording for a projected further two singles on Vandelay. Sporadic, as Jim Burke is now in Brighton and Jonny Dawe is a doting father.
2005 : More sporadic recording. "The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies" from the first album is re-worked in blistering form. Tentative rehearsals begin for live shows, as releasing more records without playing gigs would probably be foolhardy. Sadly, it's all too difficult to organise. With 1/3 of the band living so far away, and everyone with other commitments, the decision is made to end it. The irony being that actually trying to be an ongoing concern was stopping anyone hearing the music.
Present day : All of the Junior Blanks material (two albums worth) is online for free download at our website. We've also got a bunch of 7" vinyl singles left, which we are giving away for free. Go to the site linked above, and follow the instructions there.
Hola, Junior Blanks ! Just to say that on Sunday, It's a lunchtime gig, so if you get there about 2pm you will be in time to see me. There's The Switch theatre group after that and some other acts too. All at Bethnal Green Workingmen's club, Love Jim'll. xx
Junior Blanks makes Jim'll's Brain bigger and that's a good thing because at the moment it is a tiny Brain. Perhaps one day there will be one Brain called Jim'Junior Blanks'll's Brain. I hope Junior Blanks thinks Jim'll's Brain is pretty, like a big Daisy in a meadow of fluffy Bunnies.
