Tik and Tok

Last updated

Sean Crawford (2013) Sean Crawford Celebration Europe II.jpg
Sean Crawford (2013)
Tim Dry Selfie Blackburn 2015..jpg
Tim Dry

Tik and Tok are the robotic mime and music duo of Tim Dry and Sean Crawford. They began performing together with Shock, a rock/mime/burlesque/music troupe in the early 1980s with Barbie Wilde, Robert Pereno, L.A. Richards and Carole Caplin.

Contents

Shock's first record "Angel Face", with production by Rusty Egan and Richard James Burgess, was a modest dance floor hit. In 1981, Shock co-starred with Ultravox at the 'People's Palace Valentine's Ball' at the Rainbow Theatre.

Shock went on to support Gary Numan at his Wembley Arena shows in April, 1981. They eventually broke up and reformed as a foursome with Wilde, Dry, Crawford and Caplin and released the single, "Dynamo Beat", on RCA Records. However, soon after Dry and Crawford left to form Tik and Tok.

Tik and Tok, having developed a form of mime movement called 'robotics', appeared on television programmes including The Royal Variety Show in 1983 and The Tube . They supported Duran Duran at the Birmingham Odeon in 1982, worked with Vangelis at his home studio, and were themselves supported by a fledgling Depeche Mode. They released five singles and an album on the Survival label in the UK, Germany and Japan. Three of these singles were hits on the UK Indie Chart, "Screen Me I'm Yours" being the most successful, reaching No. 17. [1] Their second single, "Cool Running", peaked at No. 69 in the UK Singles Chart. [2]

They went to Tokyo and Germany for live performances and in 1982, were featured as costumed actors in the film Xtro , followed by Return of the Jedi in 1983. They were also the support act on Gary Numan's 'Warriors' tour in late 1983.

In 2003, Dry and Crawford were invited to be guests at the first of an ongoing series of Star Wars autograph conventions worldwide, as a result of their roles in Return Of The Jedi. This led to them coming back together as Tik and Tok after 20 years, and releasing an album titled Dream Orphans. Tik and Tok then appeared at the 2006 Elektrofest, at Koko in London.

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Numan</span> English musician (born 1958)

Gary Anthony James Webb, known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two studio albums with the band, he released his debut solo studio album The Pleasure Principle in 1979, topping the UK Albums Chart. While his commercial popularity peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits including "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars", Numan maintains a cult following. He has sold over 10 million records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duran Duran</span> English band

Duran Duran are an English band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of bassist Simon Colley and drummer Roger Taylor the following year, the band went through numerous personnel changes before May 1980, when they settled on their most famous line-up by adding guitarist Andy Taylor and lead vocalist Simon Le Bon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kajagoogoo</span> British new wave band

Kajagoogoo were a British new wave band, best known for their 1983 hit single "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and the top 10 in numerous other countries.

<i>Duran Duran</i> (1981 album) 1981 studio album by Duran Duran

Duran Duran is the debut studio album by English rock band Duran Duran, released on 15 June 1981 through EMI. Produced by Colin Thurston, it was recorded in London and Oxfordshire between December 1980 and January 1981. The instrumental tracks were recorded quickly, but vocalist Simon Le Bon initially struggled to sing in the studio, leading to discussions about replacing him before EMI employee Dave Ambrose intervened.

<i>Dance</i> (Gary Numan album) 1981 studio album by Gary Numan

Dance is the third solo studio album by English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 4 September 1981 by Beggars Banquet Records. It was the first studio album Numan released after his "Farewell Concerts" staged at Wembley Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphaville (band)</span> German synth-pop band

Alphaville is a German synth-pop band formed in Münster in 1982. They gained popularity in the 1980s. The group was founded by singers Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd, and Frank Mertens. They achieved chart success with the singles "Forever Young", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "The Jet Set", and "Dance with Me". Gold remains the only continuous member of Alphaville. They took their name from Jean-Luc Godard's movie of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girls on Film</span> 1981 single by Duran Duran

"Girls on Film" is the third single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 13 July 1981. It became Duran Duran's first top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 5 in July 1981, and an international hit reaching the top 20 in several countries, including number 1 in Portugal, number 4 in New Zealand and number 11 in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbie Wilde</span> Canadian-born actress and writer (born 1960)

Barbie Wilde is a Canadian-born British actress and writer, perhaps best known for appearing as the Female Cenobite in Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) – the second of ten Hellraiser films based on Clive Barker's novella, The Hellbound Heart.

Shock were a music/mime/dance/pop group that was notable in the early 1980s for supporting English new wave groups such as Gary Numan, Adam and the Ants, Depeche Mode and Famous Names, led by Steve Fairnie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's Too Bad</span> 1978 single by Tubeway Army

"That's Too Bad" is the debut single by Tubeway Army, the band which provided the initial musical vehicle for Gary Numan. It was released in February 1978 by independent London record label Beggars Banquet. On the day of its release, Numan quit his job in a warehouse to become a professional musician.

<i>I, Assassin</i> 1982 studio album by Gary Numan

I, Assassin is the fourth solo studio album by English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 10 September 1982 by Beggars Banquet. It peaked at No. 8 on the UK Album Chart. Three singles were released from the album: "Music for Chameleons", "We Take Mystery " and "White Boys and Heroes", all of which reached the UK Top 20.

<i>Berserker</i> (Gary Numan album) 1984 studio album by Gary Numan

Berserker is the sixth solo studio album by English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 9 November 1984, it was his first album to be released under Numan's own record label, Numa Records.

<i>Warriors</i> (Gary Numan album) 1983 studio album by Gary Numan

Warriors is the fifth solo studio album by English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 16 September 1983 by Beggars Banquet Records, it would be his last studio release on that label.

<i>The Fury</i> (album) 1985 album by Gary Numan

The Fury is the seventh solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, originally released in September 1985, it was Numan's second release on his self-owned Numa Records label. It saw him continuing to explore the sample-heavy industrial sound that he had developed for his previous album Berserker in 1984.

<i>White Noise</i> (Gary Numan album) 1985 live album by Gary Numan

White Noise is a double live album by British musician Gary Numan and originally released in 1985. The album was reissued as a double CD in 1998 before a remastered version was released in 2003.

<i>Strange Charm</i> 1986 studio album by Gary Numan

Strange Charm is the eighth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, originally released in November 1986, it was Numan's third release on his self-owned Numa Records label. The album was not released in the United States until 1999 when it was issued in a digitally remastered form with five bonus tracks by Cleopatra Records. In the same year it was also reissued with bonus tracks in the United Kingdom by Eagle Records.

<i>Metal Rhythm</i> 1988 studio album by Gary Numan

Metal Rhythm is the ninth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released in September 1988 by I.R.S. Records.

<i>The Skin Mechanic</i> 1989 live album by Gary Numan

The Skin Mechanic is a live album released by British musician Gary Numan during his stint with IRS Records. The album was recorded in 1988 and released in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Numan discography</span> Catalogue of published recordings by Gary Numan

The following is a comprehensive discography of Gary Numan, a British singer and musician. Numan released his first record in 1978 as part of the outfit Tubeway Army. Initially unsuccessful, the band scored a huge hit in 1979 with the single "Are Friends Electric" and their second album Replicas, both of which reached number one in the UK. Numan then decided to release further recordings under his own name, beginning with the single "Cars" later in 1979. Both this and the subsequent album The Pleasure Principle also reached number one in the UK, and Numan became a leading force in the British electronic music scene. He scored a third number one album in 1980 with Telekon, and more hit singles and albums until the mid 1980s when his popularity waned. Despite this, he has continued to record and tour on a regular basis up to the present day. His 2017 studio album, Savage , entered the UK Albums Chart at no. 2, which was Numan's highest chart peak since 1980. His most recent album, 2021's Intruder, also entered the UK charts at no. 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Dry</span> British actor

Tim Dry is a mime artist, writer, photographic artist, musician and actor, best known for appearing in Return of the Jedi and the cult sci-fi/horror film Xtro. Tim was a member of the duo Tik and Tok, that popularised robotic mime in the UK in the 1980s.

References

  1. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN   0-9517206-9-4.
  2. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 559. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  3. "Tik And Tok* - Definitive (2019, CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 25 May 2020.

Bibliography