"Kettle" by the Chesterfields

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Great album by a much under-appreciated band or does everyone secretly love this one? "Completely and utterly" is about the best definition of bordom disguised as love that you will ever hear with a spunky, spanky,not to mention sparkling middle 8 that is the musical equivalent of ice cold fizzy Vimto being fed to one by an underwear clad Holly Valance on a sweltering summer's day.

― Kris England, Monday, 8 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Great cover too.

― Kris England, Monday, 8 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the chesterfields suck 'cause you see their records in the sale bin & you go Oh cool a Chesterfield Kings record I never saw & then .05 sec's later , oh right it's not them it's some dumm english band. i've never heard them tho', seriously are thet actually good?

― , Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hi Kris ~

I really liked that whole scene; it was really big in Bristol, thanks to Subway, Shalala (EEC Punk Rock Mountain) etc. I haven't played Kettle for years - I'll give it listen tonight...but yes, it's great; Completely & Utterly always reminded me of a really spiky version of The Housemartins. I just wish they'd stuck Sweet Revenge on it(I suppose it did turn up on the singles album).

Further to your other message, my band was The Groove Farm...actually on the same label as the Chesterfields at one point. My mate is Mark, who joined halfway through, then moving to The Brilliant Corners. When GF split, I formed a band with Deb from the Flatmates...we lasted about 3 years & called it a day. I'm now producing for Mike Alway.

― Jez, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There were a whole lot of bands around at the time whole worshipped Postcard-era Orange Juice, but the Chesterf!elds (you keep forgetting the !) were the most shameless. Their version of Vic Godard's "Holiday Hymn" is exactly the same as OJ's

― Bham, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Their cunning plan to get publicity from Corrie whenever a character said "put t'kettle on love" absolutely failed ha ha.

I had a copy but I lent it to someone and never got it back. I guess they liked it!

― Sarah, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Or they made a nice vinyl sculpture out of it using a lighter.

― Sarah, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Shite Jez!!! I have been wearing an "It's only indie pop but I like it" T-shirt from your band for the past 14 years (not perminently you understand) and it's my pride and joy. Your band were great!

Bloody hell, that's made my day that has!

― Kris England, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey - thanks very much. Those Teeshirts were the first we made by hand, as we could no longer afford to get them printed.

― Jez, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well it's certainly done that, not even faded either, It must hold some sort of record for the most gigs attended by a single t-shirt, I'd estimate somewhere in the region of 200. Noel Gallagher laughed at it at Avenham park Preston in early 1994 but it took him at least 10 seconds to read it so what does he know?

― Kris England, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I seem to recall those Chesterfield boys saying they didn't know Holiday Hymn was a Vic Godard song when they started playing it... bless 'em.

Hey and crikey Jez, I was in a band called The Visitors: we shared a bill more than once with you lot in '87 or thereabouts... Exeter & Westward Ho! spring to mind. Now there's a thing.

― Tim, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hahaha - small world & all that...I thought most ILM posters were Stateside.

― Jez, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There are plenty of UK people on here, and at least one more veteran of South Western indie pop (mid-late '80s version).

― Tim, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah, that "put Kettle on" joke ...me and Daniel (fellow ILM poster and mate of mine since way back) have been making that joke for years, which has kept the Chesterfields and 'Ask Johnny Dee' in particular in our memory longer than perhaps would otherwise ! Great to see that we were not alone.

Talking of the Chesterf!elds' paean to Johnny Dee, did you know that there is/was a Japanese indie band called Johnny Dee ? I found their CD "Love Compilation - 10 Johnny Dee fans can't be wrong (Vinyl Japan)" for a quid a few years ago - it's great ! It's essentially ten variations of OJ's "Poor Old Soul", as well as a weirdly Japanese cobver of the Go-Betweens "Bachelor Kisses". Recommended !

― Darren, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll admit I was a big fan of "Kettle" and went to a couple of great Chesterfield gigs. "Shame about the rain" sounded just about perfect to my young romantic ears at the time.

And I'll also own up to possessing a Groove Farm 12". I can't remember what it's called, but it has spots on the cover and has a version of "Ain't no friend of mine" on it.

― Braces Tower, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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