Higs 1980 photo, L-R: > Colin Williams, Switch, Simon Charterton, Dave Cummings, Terry Edwards

The first three Higsons singles were recorded at Spaceward in 1981/2, with Joe Bull at the controls:-

I don't want to live with monkeys c/w Insect love (7" vinyl)
It goes waap!! c/w The lost and the lonely (7" vinyl)
It goes waap!! (long version) c/w Gotta let this heat out (12" vinyl)
Conspiracy c/w Touchdown (7" vinyl)

Push out the boat (7" & 12" versions) and Music to watch girls by (7") were both mixed at Spaceward by Warne Livesey sometime in 1983/4

All tracks were released on the Waap label except 'Monkeys' (Romans in Britain) and 'Music' (Upright). Most Higsons material is available for download via iTunes etc on my own Sartorial label, and there's to be a compilation of Higsons material/rarities etc slated for the autumn.

The studio's name keeps coming back from time to time - in 2007 I worked with erstwhile Spaceward man Jim Abbiss on Jack Penate's album, and just a few months ago I was chatting a street corner in Soho with Mr Robyn Hitchcock and Mr Kevin Rowland. It dawned on me that all three of us recorded our first singles at Spaceward, Robyn with The Soft Boys, Kevin with The Killjoys and me with The Higsons. It transpired than none of us saw a penny in royalties from our respective record labels for those releases! (No reflection on the studio, just an amusing coincidence...)

The 'where are they now' file...

Switch a.k.a. Charlie Higson (vocals) is a comedy scriptwriter/performer and novelist of some note - 'The Fast Show' and Young Bond novels amongst many other things.

Terry Edwards (guitar/sax/trumpet) plays with his own band, The Scapegoats, Gallon Drunk and has played countless sessions for Madness, Tindersticks, Siouxsie, Julian Cope, Jerry Dammers, Glen Matlock amongst others. Check www.terryedwards.co.uk for details.

Simon Charterton (drums) fronts two bands, Nitwood & Zook, the latter being recording artists on Tummy Touch, and is a prolific writer from local journalism to libretto for an opera.

Stuart McGeachin (guitar) runs a company that specialises in In-Flight entertainment, based in Brighton.

Colin Williams (bass) is an authority in the education of autistic children, based in South London.

Original guitarist David Cummings worked with Del Amitri & Lloyd Cole before becoming a scriptwriter for film & TV.

Terry Edwards: www.terryedwards.co.uk

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