Thee Headcoats "The Kids Are All Square - This Is Hip!" 1990

Since 1989, the main vehicle for Billy's more accessible rock'n'roll impulses has been Thee Headcoats, a trio which includes Pop Rivets / Milkshakes / Mighty Caesars drummer Bruce Brand.Formed in 1989, Thee Headcoats was one of a number of bands fronted by Billy Childish (b. William Charlie Hamper, 13 December 1958, Chatham, Kent, England), formerly of the Milkshakes and Thee Mighty Caesars. Featuring either John Agnew or Alan Crockford (from the Prisoners) on bass, and drummer Bruce Brand, Headcoats Down! echoed its predecessors with a blend of US garage band styles, punk and, for good measure, country blues. The Earls Of Suavedom was similarly derivative, but The Kids Are All Square - This Is Hip! represented a new departure with memorable, and contrasting, pop songs. Members of the Delmonas, redubbed Thee Headcoatees, and new bass player Ollie Dollar, enlivened the content considerably, and for once, Childish seemed more concerned with quality rather than haste. By comparison, Heavens To Murgatroyd, Even! It's Thee Headcoats! (Already) was a disappointment, comprising new versions of previously recorded songs, cover versions and new material. Nevertheless, the fact that the CD was mastered "directly from vinyl" reveals much about the band's and Childish's spirit. Childish "retired" from the music business in 1995, but returned with Thee Headcoats in 1998 for the typically uncompromising The Messerschmitt Pilot's Severed Hand. The band played their final gig at the Dirty Water Club on 12 May 2000.trax:

01 I'm A Gamekeeper 02 Davey Crockett 03 Monkey's Paw 04 Meet Jacqueline 05 The Ballad Of Fogbound Pinehead 06 All My Feelings Denied 07 Cowboys Are Square 08 I Can Destroy All Of Your Love 09 Poccahontas Was Her Name 10 Nanook From The North 11 A Town Named Squareville 12 Karasal