The Apollinaires were a British 2 Tone/post-punk group from Leicester, England, signed to 2 Tone Records.[1]
The Apollinaires | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Volkswagens |
| Origin | Leicester |
| Genres | funk, 2 Tone |
| Years active | 1981-1983 |
| Labels | 2 Tone Records |
| Past members | Paul Tickle, Tom Brown, Francis Brown, Kraig Thornber, James Hunt, Simon Kirk, Peter Millen, Laurence Wood, Paul Hood, Chris Freestone, Stephen Leonard-Williams |
The band formed in Leicester as a six-piece, composed of musicians from various local bands and students from the Leicester School of Art.[1] Four members of the band had previously been in an industrial band named I Y A Volkswagens, which had released one single on Rough Trade Records called "Kill Myself".[2] After the demise of that band they reformed as The Volkswagens, and as their sound moved from post-punk to a more dance sound, they worked with members of another Leicester band called The Swinging Laurels as their horn section.[1]
In 1982 the band signed to Coventry's 2 Tone Records and changed their name to The Apollinaires, expanding to a ten-piece at the same time with the addition an in-house horn section.[1][2] They recorded their first single, "The Feeling's Gone" with Jerry Dammers,[1] featuring vocals from Rhoda Dakar of The Bodysnatchers.[2]
After this the band toured extensively in the UK with bands including The Higsons and The Beat, and also played concerts in France, recorded BBC Radio 1 sessions for John Peel and Kid Jensen, and released a second single entitled "Envy the Love".[1] Their TV appearances included Channel 4's The Switch.[1] They also released a third single in 1983 on a small Birmingham independent label entitled "Put People First".[1] Eventually, however, the band split up due to the difficulties of co-ordinating their large number of members.[1]
