Pool Of Sound - Benny Profane

Benny Profane

When 'The Room' split up in 1985 ( see http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/08/pool-of-sound-room.html ), singer Dave Jackson and bass guitarist Becky Stringer recruited Joe McKechnie formerly from 'The Passage' on guitar and drums to form 'Benny Profane'. After a brief period with Joe on guitar and Paul Sangster (ex-'Send No Flowers' and 'Wild Swans') on drums, they enlisted the aid of Will Sergeant of the 'Bunnymen' to do the guitar on their first demo. Shortly after they enlisted Robin Surtees as their 'head jangler'. He'd been with Red Flame label-mates 'Shiny Two Shiny'.
Following a series of support slots with 'Echo and the Bunnymen', 'The Woodentops' and 'Hoodoo Gurus', in 1986 they played at their favourite venue, The Monro in Dale Street for an entire week.

The name of the band was taken from the name of a character in the Pynchon novel 'V' described as 'a schlemiel and a human yo-yo'. Not having a record label their first release,'Where is Pig?' (the title also a reference to V) was via a friend’s label on Sub Pop UK. It wasn't until their second EP in 1987, 'Devil Laughing' and in particular the song 'Stitch That', that John Peel began giving them regular air play. The EP came out on the Leeds indie label Ediesta, a subsidiary of Red Rhino, and it was through them that they met Amanda Ward, who became their manager.

They then did another record with Ediesta, 'Parasite', produced by Chris Alison, which was released as a single in early 1988, and which they performed on Tony Wilson's late night Granada TV show, 'The Other Side Of Midnight'.
In 1988 they went into the studio with Chris Alison to record 'Rob A Bank' and the next day they recorded their first John Peel session. Peel loved it - it was voted one of his sessions of the year - and as a result, he started playing 'Rob a Bank' every night once he got the test pressing off Ediesta.
Things were looking good but then unfortunately Red Rhino went bankrupt. They approached Dave Haslam of Playhard Records, who agreed to release their first album, 'Trapdoor Swing' as well as the Ian Broudie produced single 'Skateboard To Oblivion'.

In 1989 their album was released and they recorded a second Peel session and toured the UK. Their second and last album, 'Dumb Luck Charm' was recorded at Amazon in October 1989, with Joe doubling up on guitar and drums to save time in the studio. Shortly after the sessions they enlisted the services of 'Steve McManaman look-alike' Liam Rice as permanent drummer and he joined in time for their third Peel session. In 1990 they signed to Imaginary Records and released their new album in March but alas 'Benny Profane' split up in the summer of 1990. Why? Dave Jackson explains. "Things were changing. There was the whole indie dance thing going on. It seemed like you had to be grunge or indie dance and we didn’t fit into either. Joe McKechnie was getting more into dance music, and lots of people were doing ecstasy. Joe was the first to leave and then Robin Surtees decided to leave. I can’t remember how it happened but there was just me, Becky and Liam Rice left, and so we got Ian Johnsen in on guitar and eventually became 'Dust' and later 'Dead Cowboys'."

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/11/pool-of-sound-poisoned-electric-head.html