Elton John was quoted as saying that Ian Dury had the best live band in England and this reputation made them the number one session musicians in the UK, before the age of sampling and programmed music took hold. Their live performances still inspire to this day.
The story of how the band came to back Ian Dury is quite amazing and the career that each member has had is quite frankly unbelievable.
Then of course the years with Ian Dury occurred, which included two best selling albums, two top tens and a number one single, as well as working with various artists from Stiff Records and other mainstream acts of the time, such as The Clash.
Their session work, writing, and touring continued from the 80’s onwards. Notable contributions included Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘Relax’, Quincy Jone’s ‘Ai No Corrida’, Nick Cave’s ‘Nocturama’ and appearing on stage at Live Aid. Alongside this work, they wrote various film, tv and theatre scores, including: ‘Earth Girls are Easy’, ‘Diary of Adrian Mole’, ‘Queen and I’, ‘From the Ashes’, ‘The Libertine’, ‘The Country Wife’, ‘K2’, ‘The Jovial Crew’, ‘After Midnight’, and ‘Serious Money’.
Kickstarter for The Blockheads doc
