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{{Short description|English indie pop/punk band}}
{{for|the X Factor contestants dubbed "The Chefs"|The X Factor: Battle of the Stars}}
{{for|the X Factor contestants dubbed "The Chefs"|The X Factor: Battle of the Stars}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
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[[File:Chefs.JPG|thumb|The Chefs playing on the back of a truck during a [[CND]] march through [[South London]], April 1981]]
[[File:Chefs.JPG|thumb|The Chefs playing on the back of a truck during a [[CND]] march through [[South London]], April 1981]]


'''The Chefs''' were an English [[indie pop|indiepop]]/[[punk rock|punk]] band which formed in [[Brighton]], [[Sussex]], England, in 1979, relocating to London in 1981, and finally splitting up in 1982.<ref name="Larkin80"/> The band consisted of [[Helen McCookerybook]] (bass guitar and vocals), Carl Evans (guitar and vocals), James McCallum (Helen's brother; guitar) and Russell Greenwood (drums; died 25 June 1999).
'''The Chefs''' were an English [[indie pop|indiepop]]/[[punk rock|punk]] band which formed in [[Brighton]] in 1979, relocating to London in 1981, and finally splitting up in 1982.<ref name="Larkin80"/> The band consisted of [[Helen McCookerybook]] (bass guitar and vocals), Carl Evans (guitar and vocals), James McCallum (Helen's brother; guitar) and Russell Greenwood (drums; died 25 June 1999).


==Punk beginnings==
==Punk beginnings==
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In 1979, the Chefs, with 'Muttley' on drums, contributed two songs, "Food", and Carl's "You Get Everywhere", to Vaultage 79, a compilation produced by Brighton's independent record label, [[Attrix]]. The local newspaper, the ''[[The Argus (Brighton)|Evening Argus]]'', organised a photo shoot with all the Attrix bands standing outside the record label's shop in Sydney Street. When the photographer asked McCallum her name, she told him, on the spur of the moment, that it was "McCookerybook". The name stuck.<ref name="Punk's Progress">Sue Bishop 'A Punk's Progress,' ''[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]]'', 24 July 2000.</ref>
In 1979, the Chefs, with 'Muttley' on drums, contributed two songs, "Food", and Carl's "You Get Everywhere", to Vaultage 79, a compilation produced by Brighton's independent record label, [[Attrix]]. The local newspaper, the ''[[The Argus (Brighton)|Evening Argus]]'', organised a photo shoot with all the Attrix bands standing outside the record label's shop in Sydney Street. When the photographer asked McCallum her name, she told him, on the spur of the moment, that it was "McCookerybook". The name stuck.<ref name="Punk's Progress">Sue Bishop 'A Punk's Progress,' ''[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]]'', 24 July 2000.</ref>


[[File:James.JPG|thumb|left|James McCallum, Chefs guitarist, setting off from his house for a band rehearsal in Brighton, May 1980]]
[[File:James McCallum (1980).jpg|thumb|left|James McCallum, Chefs guitarist, setting off from his house for a band rehearsal in Brighton, May 1980]]


Soon after, McCallum's brother, James, joined on second guitar. He had recently finished a degree in philosophy at Sussex University, and had played guitar in the short lived punk band, Smeggy and the Cheesybits (Smeggy would go on to be lead singer in [[King Kurt]]). The line-up was completed in early 1980 with the arrival of Russ Greenwood, who had been drummer in the Parrots. Greenwood, a powerful dynamic drummer, brought a new tightness and professionalism to the band.
Soon after, McCallum's brother, James, joined on second guitar. He had recently finished a degree in philosophy at Sussex University, and had played guitar in the short lived punk band, Smeggy and the Cheesybits (Smeggy would go on to be lead singer in [[King Kurt]]). The line-up was completed in early 1980 with the arrival of Russ Greenwood, who had been drummer in the Parrots. Greenwood, a powerful dynamic drummer, brought a new tightness and professionalism to the band.
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The Chefs’ first John Peel session, broadcast on 11 May 1981, included Evans' "Love Is Such a Splendid Thing" and McCallum’s "Northbound Train". Like "24 Hours", these new songs showed a movement away from the nursery rhyme lyrics of the early recordings to more sophisticated songs about relationships. There was also "One Fine Day", with music by Evans and lyrics by James McCallum, posing a list of comically absurd questions within the song.
The Chefs’ first John Peel session, broadcast on 11 May 1981, included Evans' "Love Is Such a Splendid Thing" and McCallum’s "Northbound Train". Like "24 Hours", these new songs showed a movement away from the nursery rhyme lyrics of the early recordings to more sophisticated songs about relationships. There was also "One Fine Day", with music by Evans and lyrics by James McCallum, posing a list of comically absurd questions within the song.

In the summer of 1981, the Chefs also recorded McCallum's song, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p89Quan5SIo "Locked Out"], for the compilation, ''W.N.W.6 Moonlight Radio'', released by Armageddon Records.<ref> [https://www.discogs.com/release/881047-Various-WNW6-Moonlight-Radio W.N.W.6 Moonlight Radio, on Discogs.com]</ref>


It was hard to label the Chefs' music. McCallum told ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'', 'People keep asking us what sort of music we play but we can't tell them. It's not directly influenced by anything – we all like listening to different sorts of music, and each of us, in our heads I think, believes we're playing that sort of music.'<ref name="Sounds">Robbi Millar, 'Oven Ready', ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'', 15 August 1981.</ref> The Chefs' jangling guitar arrangements and bright pop melodies pointed the way towards the ''[[C86 (album)|C86]]'' sound, but stood out in the fashion-conscious London of 1981, when the [[Goth subculture|Goths]] and [[New Romantic]]s were at their height.
It was hard to label the Chefs' music. McCallum told ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'', 'People keep asking us what sort of music we play but we can't tell them. It's not directly influenced by anything – we all like listening to different sorts of music, and each of us, in our heads I think, believes we're playing that sort of music.'<ref name="Sounds">Robbi Millar, 'Oven Ready', ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'', 15 August 1981.</ref> The Chefs' jangling guitar arrangements and bright pop melodies pointed the way towards the ''[[C86 (album)|C86]]'' sound, but stood out in the fashion-conscious London of 1981, when the [[Goth subculture|Goths]] and [[New Romantic]]s were at their height.


==Graduate==
==Graduate==
The West Midlands label, Graduate, best known for [[UB40]], loved "24 Hours", and signed the Chefs to their label, rereleasing the single. There were plans to record an album, but these never progressed beyond the demo stage. Interviewed in 2013, McCallum recalled, 'There is a version of it but it's very drum-heavy as the drummer got into tribal drums after hearing Adam and the Ants. I did love Adam and the Ants' sound but I didn't want to ''be'' them. I think that might be why The Chefs split up; I'd always thought we thrived on being original but the others seemed to want to fit into pop fashion.'<ref name="Louder than War, July 2013">Paul Scott-Bates, Interview with Helen McCookerybook, [[Louder than War]], 11 July 2013.</ref> The Chefs also resisted Graduate's attempts to mould them. In 2012, McCallum told Everett True, 'They tried to get me to wear make-up and girly clothes, but I was a total tomboy and would have felt like a drag queen.'<ref name="Everett True">Helen McCallum, interviewed by Everett True on the liner notes to Records and Tea, [[Damaged Goods (record label)|Damaged Goods Records]], 2012.</ref>
The West Midlands label, Graduate, best known for [[UB40]], loved "24 Hours", and signed the Chefs to their label, rereleasing the single, with "Thrush" as the B side. There were plans to make an album, and the Chefs recorded nine songs at Alvic Studios in West Kensington, in a session produced by Mike Robinson and Richard Preston. Interviewed in 2013, McCallum described the recordings as "very drum-heavy as the drummer got into tribal drums after hearing Adam and the Ants. I did love Adam and the Ants' sound but I didn't want to ''be'' them. I think that might be why The Chefs split up; I'd always thought we thrived on being original but the others seemed to want to fit into pop fashion.'<ref name="Louder than War, July 2013">[https://louderthanwar.com/interview-with-helen-mccookerybook/ Paul Scott-Bates, Interview with Helen McCookerybook], [[Louder Than War|Louder than War]], 11 July 2013.</ref> The Chefs also resisted Graduate's attempts to mould them. In 2012, McCallum told Everett True, 'They tried to get me to wear make-up and girly clothes, but I was a total tomboy and would have felt like a drag queen.'<ref name="Everett True">Helen McCallum, interviewed by Everett True on the liner notes to Records and Tea, [[Damaged Goods (record label)|Damaged Goods Records]], 2012.</ref>


==Skat==
==Skat==
[[File:Carl.tiff|thumb|left|Carl Evans in Kilburn, August 1982, soon after the Chefs split up]]
[[File:Carl Evans of the Chefs (1982).tiff|thumb|left|Carl Evans in Kilburn, August 1982, soon after the Chefs split up]]
In early 1982, the band changed their name to Skat, a name which proved unpopular. McCallum told Everett True, 'Not my idea to change the name. Even my Dad said it was silly commercial suicide.<ref name="Everett True"/> As Skat, the band played a final John Peel session, broadcast on 10 March 1982. These last recordings were darker in tone. McCallum's "Sad Boy Style" was a song about deception in a love triangle. "Love, It Is Just a Word", the last song that McCallum and Evans wrote together, was about the end of a relationship and disillusion with love. Skat also released a single, a cover version of "[[Femme Fatale (The Velvet Underground song)|Femme Fatale]]" by [[The Velvet Underground]].<ref name="Larkin80"/>
In early 1982, the band changed their name to Skat, a name which proved unpopular. McCallum told Everett True, 'Not my idea to change the name. Even my Dad said it was silly commercial suicide.<ref name="Everett True"/> As Skat, the band played a final John Peel session, broadcast on 10 March 1982. These last recordings were darker in tone. McCallum's "Sad Boy Style" was a song about deception in a love triangle. "Love, It Is Just a Word", the last song that McCallum and Evans wrote together, was about the end of a relationship and disillusion with love. Skat also released a single, a cover version of "[[Femme Fatale (The Velvet Underground song)|Femme Fatale]]" by [[The Velvet Underground]].<ref name="Larkin80"/>


Greenwood was the first to leave the band in 1982, eventually joining [[John Hegley]] as one of the Popticians. With Bron Buick as drummer, Skat "limped through a final few more gigs before calling it a day".<ref name="Beautiful Losers" /> Evans went on to form the [[cowpunk]] band, [[Yip Yip Coyote]], writing pop songs influenced by club beats and spaghetti western music. Like Evans, McCallum also wore western clothes, but her new band, Helen and the Horns, was closer to jazz and country music. James McCallum left the music business to retrain as a lawyer.
Greenwood was the first to leave the band in 1982, eventually joining [[John Hegley]] as one of the Popticians. With Bron Buick as drummer, Skat "limped through a final few more gigs before calling it a day".<ref name="Beautiful Losers" /> Evans went on to form the [[cowpunk]] band, [[Yip Yip Coyote]], writing pop songs influenced by club beats and spaghetti western music. Like Evans, McCallum also wore western clothes, but her new band, Helen and the Horns, was closer to jazz and country music. James McCallum left the music business to retrain as a lawyer.


==Legacy==
==The impact of the Chefs==

Although they never found commercial success, the Chefs had a lasting impact on those who heard them. Martin Stephenson of the Daintees has said, 'We were very influenced by The Chefs. To me [McCallum] is a national treasure.'<ref name="Clash Daddy">Martin Stephenson, interview on Clash Daddy website, 2012.</ref>
Although they never found commercial success, the Chefs had a lasting impact on those who heard them. Martin Stephenson of the Daintees has said, 'We were very influenced by The Chefs. To me [McCallum] is a national treasure.'<ref name="Clash Daddy">Martin Stephenson, interview on Clash Daddy website, 2012.</ref>


In 2012, Damaged Goods released ''Records and Tea'', a compilation of the band's Attrix recordings and Richard Skinner and John Peel sessions. Reviewing the collection for the eMusic website, Andrew Gibson concluded, "The Chefs' lively mixture of fun and social acuity might easily leave them forever chained to their age, were it not for the sheer quality of their tunes....Like the Smiths and countless ensuing indie-pop heroes...The Chefs turned forlorn emotions and humdrum surroundings into triumphant music."<ref name="eMusic">Andrew Gibson, review of 'Records and Tea' at eMusic.com</ref>
In 2012, Damaged Goods released ''Records and Tea'', a compilation of the band's Attrix recordings and Richard Skinner and John Peel sessions. Reviewing the collection for the eMusic website, Andrew Gibson concluded, "The Chefs' lively mixture of fun and social acuity might easily leave them forever chained to their age, were it not for the sheer quality of their tunes....Like the Smiths and countless ensuing indie-pop heroes...The Chefs turned forlorn emotions and humdrum surroundings into triumphant music."<ref name="eMusic">Andrew Gibson, review of 'Records and Tea' at eMusic.com</ref>

{{-}} In 2022, Optic Nerve recordings reissued ''24 Hours'', as a yellow vinyl single, in its original yellow Attrix cover with a poster and a postcard.<ref>https://opticnerverecordings.com/products/chefs-the-24-hours-7</ref> Ian McCann reviewed the release in [[Record Collector]] magazine: "I feel love. I feel love. I feel love etc. ''24 Hours'' echoes Donna Summer's top/terrifying tune, borrowing the bassline, even utilising its change from major to minor. But Brighton's The Chefs aren't disco devils. This is joyous, melodic, thrashy proto-indie, ahead of its time in 1981. ''Let's Make Up'' is even better, a ringing driving din that casts Helen McCookerybook (I'm not making this up, she is) as a habitual user of Superdrug's slap shelves. They play in waltz time on ''Someone I know'', mocking the whispering of gossip, the snarky online messaging of their era. A dazzlingly brilliant EP, its vinyl matches its sunny sleeve." <ref>Ian McCann, 'Singles', ''Record Collector'', 356, October 2022, p131</ref>
In 2022, Optic Nerve recordings reissued "24 Hours", as a yellow vinyl single, in its original yellow Attrix cover with a poster and a postcard.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://opticnerverecordings.com/products/chefs-the-24-hours-7 | title=Chefs, the - 24 Hours 7 }}</ref> Ian McCann reviewed the release in [[Record Collector]] magazine: "I feel love. I feel love. I feel love etc. "24 Hours" echoes Donna Summer's top/terrifying tune, borrowing the bassline, even utilising its change from major to minor. But Brighton's The Chefs aren't disco devils. This is joyous, melodic, thrashy proto-indie, ahead of its time in 1981. "Let's Make Up" is even better, a ringing driving din that casts Helen McCookerybook (I'm not making this up, she is) as a habitual user of Superdrug's slap shelves. They play in waltz time on "Someone I know", mocking the whispering of gossip, the snarky online messaging of their era. A dazzlingly brilliant EP, its vinyl matches its sunny sleeve."<ref>Ian McCann, 'Singles', ''Record Collector'', 356, October 2022, p131</ref>

In 2024, more than forty years after the Chefs recorded the Alvic sessions, their 'lost album' was finally released by Damaged Goods, as part of a vinyl double LP compilation: ''Records & Tea: The Best of The Chefs and Lost Second (sic) Album''. Alongside five songs familiar from Peel sessions, there were four previously unreleased compositions: Evans's "Lucky Hello" and "Land Ho" (a reworking of "Love is Such a Splendid Thing"), and McCookerybook's "Commander Lonely" and "Baby Small".<ref>[https://shop.damagedgoods.co.uk/products/records-tea-the-best-of-the-chefs-and-lost-second-album?Format=Double+Vinyl+LP Damaged Goods website listing for Records & Tea: The Best of The Chefs and Lost Second Album]</ref>

==McCallum Reunion Show==
On 25 January 2023, Helen McCookerybook and James McCallum reunited to play duo guitar arrangements of Chefs songs at the Betsey Trotwood pub in Clerkenwell, London. They played "Food", "Let's make up", "Records and Tea", and "24 Hours". Their set was filmed and was posted by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKiJYwMvlik McCookerybook on YouTube].


==Discography==
==Discography==
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===Albums/compilations===
===Albums/compilations===
*1979: ''Vaultage '79 (Another Two Sides of Brighton)'' ("You Get Everywhere"/"Food") - 12" LP, Attrix Records
*1979: ''Vaultage '79 (Another Two Sides of Brighton)'' ("You Get Everywhere"/"Food") - 12-inch LP, Attrix Records
*1980: ''Sweetie/Thrush/Records and Tea/Boasting'' - 7" EP, Attrix
*1980: ''Sweetie/Thrush/Records and Tea/Boasting'' - 7-inch EP, Attrix
*1981: ''WNW6 – Moonlight Radio/Locked Out'' - 12" LP, Armageddon Records
*1981: ''WNW6 – Moonlight Radio/Locked Out'' - 12-inch LP, Armageddon Records
*1982: ''Fear and Fantasy/I'll Go Too'' - 12" LP, Armageddon
*1982: ''Fear and Fantasy/I'll Go Too'' - 12-inch LP, Armageddon
*1997: ''Vaultage Punk Collection'' ("Sweetie"/"Thrush"/"24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up") - CD, Anagram
*1997: ''Vaultage Punk Collection'' ("Sweetie"/"Thrush"/"24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up") - CD, Anagram
*2005: ''Helen McCookerybook'' ("24 Hours"/"Femme Fatale") (Graduate recording) - CD, Near Shore Records
*2005: ''Helen McCookerybook'' ("24 Hours"/"Femme Fatale") (Graduate recording) - CD, Near Shore Records
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*2020: ''Make More Noise: Women In Independent UK Music 1977-1987'' ("Food") - 4 CDs, [[Cherry Red Records]]
*2020: ''Make More Noise: Women In Independent UK Music 1977-1987'' ("Food") - 4 CDs, [[Cherry Red Records]]
*2021: ''The Sun Shines Here: The Roots Of Indie Pop 1980-1984'' ("Sweetie") - 3 CDs, [[Cherry Red Records]]
*2021: ''The Sun Shines Here: The Roots Of Indie Pop 1980-1984'' ("Sweetie") - 3 CDs, [[Cherry Red Records]]
*2024: ''Records & Tea: The Best of The Chefs and Lost Second Album'' - Double Vinyl LP [[Damaged Goods (record label)|Damaged Goods]]


===Singles===
===Singles===
*1981: "24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up"/"Someone I Know" - 7" single, Attrix
*1981: "24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up"/"Someone I Know" - 7-inch single, Attrix
*1980: "24 Hours"/"Thrush" - 7" single, Graduate Records
*1980: "24 Hours"/"Thrush" - 7-inch single, Graduate Records
*1982: "[[Femme Fatale (The Velvet Underground song)|Femme Fatale]]"/"One Fine Day" - 7" single (as "Skat"), Graduate
*1982: "[[Femme Fatale (The Velvet Underground song)|Femme Fatale]]"/"One Fine Day" - 7-inch single (as "Skat"), Graduate
*2022: "24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up"/"Someone I Know" - 7" single, Optic Nerve Recordings
*2022: "24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up"/"Someone I Know" - 7-inch single, Optic Nerve Recordings


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/@mccookerybook Helen McCookerybook's YouTube page]
*[http://www.myspace.com/thechefs Myspace page]
*[http://www.myspace.com/thechefs Myspace page]
*[http://www.noclass.co.uk/Chefs.html No Class fanzine interview]
*[http://www.noclass.co.uk/Chefs.html No Class fanzine interview]
*[http://www.sukeplow.demon.co.uk/chefs/chefs.htm Fansite]
*[http://www.sukeplow.demon.co.uk/chefs/chefs.htm Fansite]
*[http://damagedgoods.co.uk/band/?c=The-Chefs Chefs reissue on Damaged Goods]
*[https://damagedgoods.co.uk/bands/the-chefs/ Chefs page on Damaged Goods]
*[http://www.punkbrighton.co.uk/chefs.html Chefs page on the Punk Brighton website]
*[http://www.punkbrighton.co.uk/chefs.html Chefs page on the Punk Brighton website]
*[http://louderthanwar.com/interview-with-helen-mccookerybook/ Louder than War interview with Helen McCookerybook, July 2013]
*[http://louderthanwar.com/interview-with-helen-mccookerybook/ Louder than War interview with Helen McCookerybook, July 2013]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chefs, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chefs, The}}
[[Category:British indie pop groups]]
[[Category:English indie pop groups]]
[[Category:English pop punk groups]]
[[Category:English pop punk groups]]
[[Category:English punk rock groups]]
[[Category:English punk rock groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Brighton and Hove]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from Brighton and Hove]]
[[Category:English new wave musical groups]]
[[Category:English new wave musical groups]]

Latest revision as of 03:54, 24 November 2024

For the X Factor contestants dubbed "The Chefs", see The X Factor: Battle of the Stars.

The Chefs playing on the back of a truck during a CND march through South London, April 1981

The Chefs were an English indiepop/punk band which formed in Brighton in 1979, relocating to London in 1981, and finally splitting up in 1982.[1] The band consisted of Helen McCookerybook (bass guitar and vocals), Carl Evans (guitar and vocals), James McCallum (Helen's brother; guitar) and Russell Greenwood (drums; died 25 June 1999).

Punk beginnings

[edit]

In 1976, Helen McCallum moved from Wylam near Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Brighton to study fine art printmaking at Brighton Polytechnic. In 1977, she began to play bass in the punk band Joby and the Hooligans. The following year, Carl Evans, a 17-year-old guitarist from Haywards Heath, joined the band, and they changed their name to the Smartees. In the Smartees, McCallum wrote and sang "Thrush", a song about the sexually transmitted disease. Her second song, written with singer Tracy Preston, was "Let's Make Up", about cosmetics.

Formation

[edit]
Chefs t-shirt and other ephemera, designed by Helen McCookerybook

After the Smartees split in late 1978, McCallum and Evans began to write songs together. McCallum had drawn an illustration of a dancing chef, called Ken Wood, with an accompanying rhyme, "Food". This was a list of favourite foods, with the refrain "Food we eat to keep us going/ Food we eat to make us strong/ In our bellies we are stowing/ Eating eating all day long." Evans set this to music, giving them their first song, and a name for the band, the Chefs.

Evans and McCallum went on to write "Boasting", another list song, in which they sang alternate verses describing their favourite possessions: McCallum’s pet goldfish and canvass shoes, and Evans' blue mini car, pair of pointed crepes and 10-inch Whirlwind record. A third song was made up of the simple lyric, "We’re the Chefs, how do you do? We have come to play for you." All three songs were under two minutes long and McCallum later recalled that their first gig "lasted about five minutes, with between song chat".[2]

Russ Greenwood, drummer of the Chefs, April 1981

In 1979, the Chefs, with 'Muttley' on drums, contributed two songs, "Food", and Carl's "You Get Everywhere", to Vaultage 79, a compilation produced by Brighton's independent record label, Attrix. The local newspaper, the Evening Argus, organised a photo shoot with all the Attrix bands standing outside the record label's shop in Sydney Street. When the photographer asked McCallum her name, she told him, on the spur of the moment, that it was "McCookerybook". The name stuck.[3]

James McCallum, Chefs guitarist, setting off from his house for a band rehearsal in Brighton, May 1980

Soon after, McCallum's brother, James, joined on second guitar. He had recently finished a degree in philosophy at Sussex University, and had played guitar in the short lived punk band, Smeggy and the Cheesybits (Smeggy would go on to be lead singer in King Kurt). The line-up was completed in early 1980 with the arrival of Russ Greenwood, who had been drummer in the Parrots. Greenwood, a powerful dynamic drummer, brought a new tightness and professionalism to the band.

In 1980, Attrix paid for a Chefs EP, which was recorded at Graphic Studios in London. It included "Thrush", "Boasting", "Records and Tea" and Evans' love song "Sweetie", a live favourite. The whole EP was far from 'sweet' – it dealt with sex, personal hygiene and several associated items.[1] The EP came in a yellow sleeve, designed by McCallum. Yellow, the Chefs' favourite colour, was used for posters, t-shirts, stickers and badges. John Peel loved the EP, and played it repeatedly on his late night BBC Radio 1 show.

1981 poster, by Helen McCookerybook, advertising "24 Hours"

In London

[edit]

To break into the music business, in 1981, the band all moved to Kilburn in North West London. In April and May 1981, they performed a Monday-night residency at the Moonlight Club at the Railway pub in West Hampstead.

In April 1981, Attrix released a Chefs' single, McCallum's "24 Hours". It was a song about romantic obsession, and the gulf between real life and fantasy: ‘I know if I catch you it might turn out/That it's not as much fun as I'd hoped that it would be/ ‘Cause wishing and waiting it what it's all about/ And dreams are worth ten times more than reality.’ McCallum described "24 Hours" as an 'attempt to write a song that sounded like Donna Summer', and said that it was a true story: 'I fell in love with a fat scaffolder'.[4] On the other side, there was Evans' song "Someone I know".

The Chefs’ first John Peel session, broadcast on 11 May 1981, included Evans' "Love Is Such a Splendid Thing" and McCallum’s "Northbound Train". Like "24 Hours", these new songs showed a movement away from the nursery rhyme lyrics of the early recordings to more sophisticated songs about relationships. There was also "One Fine Day", with music by Evans and lyrics by James McCallum, posing a list of comically absurd questions within the song.

In the summer of 1981, the Chefs also recorded McCallum's song, "Locked Out", for the compilation, W.N.W.6 Moonlight Radio, released by Armageddon Records.[5]

It was hard to label the Chefs' music. McCallum told Sounds, 'People keep asking us what sort of music we play but we can't tell them. It's not directly influenced by anything – we all like listening to different sorts of music, and each of us, in our heads I think, believes we're playing that sort of music.'[6] The Chefs' jangling guitar arrangements and bright pop melodies pointed the way towards the C86 sound, but stood out in the fashion-conscious London of 1981, when the Goths and New Romantics were at their height.

Graduate

[edit]

The West Midlands label, Graduate, best known for UB40, loved "24 Hours", and signed the Chefs to their label, rereleasing the single, with "Thrush" as the B side. There were plans to make an album, and the Chefs recorded nine songs at Alvic Studios in West Kensington, in a session produced by Mike Robinson and Richard Preston. Interviewed in 2013, McCallum described the recordings as "very drum-heavy as the drummer got into tribal drums after hearing Adam and the Ants. I did love Adam and the Ants' sound but I didn't want to be them. I think that might be why The Chefs split up; I'd always thought we thrived on being original but the others seemed to want to fit into pop fashion.'[7] The Chefs also resisted Graduate's attempts to mould them. In 2012, McCallum told Everett True, 'They tried to get me to wear make-up and girly clothes, but I was a total tomboy and would have felt like a drag queen.'[8]

Skat

[edit]
Carl Evans in Kilburn, August 1982, soon after the Chefs split up

In early 1982, the band changed their name to Skat, a name which proved unpopular. McCallum told Everett True, 'Not my idea to change the name. Even my Dad said it was silly commercial suicide.[8] As Skat, the band played a final John Peel session, broadcast on 10 March 1982. These last recordings were darker in tone. McCallum's "Sad Boy Style" was a song about deception in a love triangle. "Love, It Is Just a Word", the last song that McCallum and Evans wrote together, was about the end of a relationship and disillusion with love. Skat also released a single, a cover version of "Femme Fatale" by The Velvet Underground.[1]

Greenwood was the first to leave the band in 1982, eventually joining John Hegley as one of the Popticians. With Bron Buick as drummer, Skat "limped through a final few more gigs before calling it a day".[2] Evans went on to form the cowpunk band, Yip Yip Coyote, writing pop songs influenced by club beats and spaghetti western music. Like Evans, McCallum also wore western clothes, but her new band, Helen and the Horns, was closer to jazz and country music. James McCallum left the music business to retrain as a lawyer.

Legacy

[edit]

Although they never found commercial success, the Chefs had a lasting impact on those who heard them. Martin Stephenson of the Daintees has said, 'We were very influenced by The Chefs. To me [McCallum] is a national treasure.'[9]

In 2012, Damaged Goods released Records and Tea, a compilation of the band's Attrix recordings and Richard Skinner and John Peel sessions. Reviewing the collection for the eMusic website, Andrew Gibson concluded, "The Chefs' lively mixture of fun and social acuity might easily leave them forever chained to their age, were it not for the sheer quality of their tunes....Like the Smiths and countless ensuing indie-pop heroes...The Chefs turned forlorn emotions and humdrum surroundings into triumphant music."[10]

In 2022, Optic Nerve recordings reissued "24 Hours", as a yellow vinyl single, in its original yellow Attrix cover with a poster and a postcard.[11] Ian McCann reviewed the release in Record Collector magazine: "I feel love. I feel love. I feel love etc. "24 Hours" echoes Donna Summer's top/terrifying tune, borrowing the bassline, even utilising its change from major to minor. But Brighton's The Chefs aren't disco devils. This is joyous, melodic, thrashy proto-indie, ahead of its time in 1981. "Let's Make Up" is even better, a ringing driving din that casts Helen McCookerybook (I'm not making this up, she is) as a habitual user of Superdrug's slap shelves. They play in waltz time on "Someone I know", mocking the whispering of gossip, the snarky online messaging of their era. A dazzlingly brilliant EP, its vinyl matches its sunny sleeve."[12]

In 2024, more than forty years after the Chefs recorded the Alvic sessions, their 'lost album' was finally released by Damaged Goods, as part of a vinyl double LP compilation: Records & Tea: The Best of The Chefs and Lost Second (sic) Album. Alongside five songs familiar from Peel sessions, there were four previously unreleased compositions: Evans's "Lucky Hello" and "Land Ho" (a reworking of "Love is Such a Splendid Thing"), and McCookerybook's "Commander Lonely" and "Baby Small".[13]

McCallum Reunion Show

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On 25 January 2023, Helen McCookerybook and James McCallum reunited to play duo guitar arrangements of Chefs songs at the Betsey Trotwood pub in Clerkenwell, London. They played "Food", "Let's make up", "Records and Tea", and "24 Hours". Their set was filmed and was posted by McCookerybook on YouTube.

Discography

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Sweetie – guitar solo, played by Carl Evans
An audio sample of the guitar solo from "Sweetie" (1980)
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Albums/compilations

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  • 1979: Vaultage '79 (Another Two Sides of Brighton) ("You Get Everywhere"/"Food") - 12-inch LP, Attrix Records
  • 1980: Sweetie/Thrush/Records and Tea/Boasting - 7-inch EP, Attrix
  • 1981: WNW6 – Moonlight Radio/Locked Out - 12-inch LP, Armageddon Records
  • 1982: Fear and Fantasy/I'll Go Too - 12-inch LP, Armageddon
  • 1997: Vaultage Punk Collection ("Sweetie"/"Thrush"/"24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up") - CD, Anagram
  • 2005: Helen McCookerybook ("24 Hours"/"Femme Fatale") (Graduate recording) - CD, Near Shore Records
  • 2012: Records and Tea: The Best of the Chefs - CD, Damaged Goods
  • 2020: Make More Noise: Women In Independent UK Music 1977-1987 ("Food") - 4 CDs, Cherry Red Records
  • 2021: The Sun Shines Here: The Roots Of Indie Pop 1980-1984 ("Sweetie") - 3 CDs, Cherry Red Records
  • 2024: Records & Tea: The Best of The Chefs and Lost Second Album - Double Vinyl LP Damaged Goods

Singles

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  • 1981: "24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up"/"Someone I Know" - 7-inch single, Attrix
  • 1980: "24 Hours"/"Thrush" - 7-inch single, Graduate Records
  • 1982: "Femme Fatale"/"One Fine Day" - 7-inch single (as "Skat"), Graduate
  • 2022: "24 Hours"/"Let's Make Up"/"Someone I Know" - 7-inch single, Optic Nerve Recordings

References

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  1. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 107. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
  2. ^ a b Helen McCallum ‘Beautiful Losers,’ Nude Magazine, Spring 2007.
  3. ^ Sue Bishop 'A Punk's Progress,' The Argus, 24 July 2000.
  4. ^ Liner notes to 'Helen and the Horns Etc', Near Shore Records, 2005.
  5. ^ W.N.W.6 Moonlight Radio, on Discogs.com
  6. ^ Robbi Millar, 'Oven Ready', Sounds, 15 August 1981.
  7. ^ Paul Scott-Bates, Interview with Helen McCookerybook, Louder than War, 11 July 2013.
  8. ^ a b Helen McCallum, interviewed by Everett True on the liner notes to Records and Tea, Damaged Goods Records, 2012.
  9. ^ Martin Stephenson, interview on Clash Daddy website, 2012.
  10. ^ Andrew Gibson, review of 'Records and Tea' at eMusic.com
  11. ^ "Chefs, the - 24 Hours 7".
  12. ^ Ian McCann, 'Singles', Record Collector, 356, October 2022, p131
  13. ^ Damaged Goods website listing for Records & Tea: The Best of The Chefs and Lost Second Album
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