The Apollinaires

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

History

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]

Personnel

• Paul Tickle, Vocals
• Tom Brown, guitar
• Francis Brown, Guitar (died 17 March 2010)^[3]
• Kraig Thornber, Drums
• James Hunt, Bass
• Simon Kirk, Percussion
• Peter Millen, Alto Sax. Millen went on to run a design business in New York City.^[1]
• Laurence Wood, Tenor Sax
• Paul Hood, Trombone
• Chris Freestone, Trumpet
• Stephen Leonard-Williams, Flute

Singles

• "The Feeling's Gone" (2 Tone Records, 1982, produced by Jerry Dammers)^[2]
• "Envy the Love" (2 Tone Records, 1982, produced by Warne Livesey)^[2]
• "Put People First/Theme from Put People First" (B.F.W. / T.U.R.C., 1983, produced by Jo King)^[1]