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The Highliners | |
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| Origin | London, England |
| Years active | 1984–present |
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| Website | thehighliners |
The Highliners are a British rock and roll/psychobilly band. They dress in pink Dr. Martens boots, black capes, and drive a pink van with a skeleton surfing on the roof.
The Highliners were formed in London in 1984 by Luke Morgan and Chris Finch, who met while studying at the Central School of Art and Design. The band’s name was inspired by theMk2 Ford Consuls and Zephyrs owned by its members. In 1985, Morgan, Finch, Kev “Stretch” Feeney, and drummer Tim Potter travelled to France in a pink split-screen Volkswagen bus for a three-month tour of the Riviera.
Before 1986, The Highliners went through several drummers. That year, Roy Williams of Nervous Records introduced Ginger Meadham, formerly of The Meteors , the Ricochets, and Guana Batz to the band. By 1987, the four-piece had secured a television residency on the Channel 4 programme Comedy Wavelength, alongside Paul Merton and Josie Lawrence. They were later joined by Ben Blakeman, formerly of the The Cocteau Twins, on lead guitar, and frequently headlined John Curd’s psychobilly club, the Klub Foot in Hammersmith, where their pink van became a familiar landmark. The band were recorded live there on 16 January 1988 for the album Stomping at the Klub Foot 5, which was released two months later, in March 1988.
Their final headline performance at the Klub Foot on 26 June 1988 was part of the 13-night farewell series, known as The Final Curtain, held before the demolition of the The Clarendon Hotel, Hammersmith.
The Highliners achieved modest UK singles chart success with the single “Henry the Wasp”, which reached number 79 on the UK Singles Chart, and “Tell Me Things”, which peaked at number 96 in October 1988 [1] . Their debut album, Bound for Glory, was released in 1989 on Razor Records..
Rick Buckler of The Jam later replaced Ginger Meadham on drums, having previously worked with Mike Spencer on the final mix and production of the album. Buckler toured the UK and Europe with the band in 1990. Fanzines from that period featured artwork by Luke Morgan, Chris Finch, and Vaun Richards of the Funday Times .
In 2010, Ginger Meadham returned for his first performance with the band in more than 20 years at the Pineda de Mar Psychobilly Meeting in Spain. Lead vocalist Luke Morgan and Meadham, on drums, were joined by Mad Andy Kandil on guitar and Ricky Lee Sardi on bass as the band continued to tour and record. In 2019, Mark Bending, who had been part of the psychobilly scene since 1983, joined as lead guitarist. In 2024, the band’s original saxophonist, Chris Finch, rejoined, completing the current lineup.
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