The Bone Orchard

Bone Orchard grew out of an alternative Brighton nightclub run by singer Chrissy McGee in 1983. A John Peel session quickly led to a record deal with Jungle. Their debut 6-track 12”EP Stuffed To The Gills definitely has a major Birthday Party influence if less artful, lots of aggressive songs with exclamation points in the titles. But unlike many other Party pretenders, they bring a fresh perspective to the psychobilly sound (McGee wasn't called the female Nick Cave for nothing). Stuffed To The Gills' best track is "Shall I Carry the Budgie Woman?," a meld of surf guitar, tribal drums and a strange outro with bird sounds. They gigged with the Birthday Party, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Alien Sex Fiend, Johnny Thunders and the Meteors to name a few.

Bone Orchard – Jack

Bone Orchard were a post-punk/gothic rock band from Brighton, England. The band was formed in early 1983 by Chrissie McGee (vocals), Mark Horse (guitar), Troy Tyro (guitar), Paul Henrickson (bass) and Mick Finch (drums). They played their first gig in April that year in London, and recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 programme in June 1983, subsequently signing to Jungle Records for their debut EP “Stuffed to the Gills” in November that year. The band drew comparisons with The Birthday Party, with McGee compared to Siouxsie Sioux. The artwork on this Brighton quintet’s debut LP employs the same scratchy/violent style as Batcave bands like Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend; the music on Jack is similarly gloomy and intense, but generally less clichéd and more engaging. All credit to singer Chrissy McGee (an original, intelligent lyricist; check the story-like “Five Days in the Neighbourhood” for details), whose deep, deadpan voice sounds a little like Siouxsie and the use of additional guest musicians augmenting the guitar-based line up with piano, strings and sax. Bone Orchard’s other strength is a sense of dynamics; they can thunder oppressively or drop back for contrast. Jack may not be an overly pleasant disc, but it is a well-crafted one with several nice touches.