York has always had a vibrant live music scene – and now a terrific new Facebook group is celebrating that fact.
The York Bands Of The Past group is all about sharing memories, photos and memorabilia of gigs gone by.
It’s a veritable goldmine of tickets, fliers, tracks and videos. And so many great bands – with so many great names!
So – for a bit of fun – we’ve put together a quiz based on some of the contributions to York Bands Of The Past.
All you have to do is correctly answer whether the name given was that of a York band or not. How many can you remember?
York bands of the past - real or fake?
Surf Sluts
Easy one to start with. Unofficial holders of the title 'York's weirdest band' for 17 years. Formed by previous members of God's Little Monkeys, the Incinerators and Suicidal Flowers, other fabulously named candidates for this quiz.
Thermodynamic Foxtrot
Not quite. Entropy Tango, however, were very much real. You can hear four of their songs on Phil Holliday's Soundcloud. Pictured here is frontman Steve Crowder alongside Paul Pinder.
Crystal Demeanour
Though perhaps sounding more like a knockoff perfume than a legendary York band, Crystal Demeanour did indeed gig around the city back in the day.
Holy Modal Rowntrees
It's almost disappointing that there wasn't a York psyche-folk group who performed under this exceptional pun. The real-life Holy Modal Rounders were a '60s band from the Lower East Side, famously featuring on the soundtrack to 'Easy Rider'.
Crispy Tom Tom USA
A name simply too bizarre to make up.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Again too daft to make up, but SSLYBY are actually from Missouri.
Zoot and the Roots
Very much a real York jazz group! The only band on this list to have their own Wikipedia page, saxophonist Snake Davis has since collaborated with the likes of Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Paul McCartney, Beyonce and the Spice Girls.
Hairball
Thought this might trick some people into thinking Hairball were an obscure York NWOBHM band of the '80s, but unfortunately not.
November Rain
York's own September Rain, however, were looking as moody as any self-respecting band should back in the '80s.
Greasy Courgette
According to my research, at least. Glycerine Cucumber were on the scene though. Remember when a pint cost 60p?
The Rocking Goose Horns
Possibly named in honour of York's infamously aggressive river-based residents, The Rocking Goose Horns were indeed popular in the city in the early '90s. Pictured here at a now-defunct venue - Cat's Whiskers on Fishergate.
Toned F
Now this pun really was the name of a York band, and a ten-piece at that. Pictured is the rear of their 1981 single 'Tone Deaf' (really hammering home the joke there), taken at the Racecourse.
Pile of Margarine
The real-life spread-based York band were in fact called The Butter Mountain Boys. Brilliantly, a 1991 album of theirs was called 'Maintenant Puis' - or 'now then' in French.
Maineeaxe
These guys were the real deal on the '80s metal scene. By coincidence, released an album called 'Going for Gold' eleven years before another York band hit the Top Ten with a single of the same name...
Spifflers
Sounds just daft enough to ring true. Alas, the soundalike real band were called Wofflers. Lock up your daughters...
Probemeister
Still sounding pretty fresh on their Soundcloud, Probemeister were Adrian Lightly and John Leach (brother of Shed Seven's Alan, as I'm sure John never tires of being reminded). Technically not a band, but couldn't resist the slightly sinister name.