The Bolshoi - Fascinating Facts

The band's name was chosen under pressure

Trevor Tanner explained in a 1998 interview that he and drummer Jan Kalicki had spent three months living in a cottage writing songs before moving to London. After struggling to secure gigs, they eventually received an offer that required them to telephone the venue that same day. When asked for their band's name, Tanner had none ready. "Bolshoi" simply popped into his head, and he gave it as their answer.

A rehearsal ended with Tanner in hospital

In the same interview, Tanner recalled being badly beaten up in a pub and ending up in hospital after making too much noise during a rehearsal. It was an extraordinary setback for a band still trying to establish itself. His account gives a glimpse of the unglamorous, sometimes rough circumstances behind their eventual emergence from London's club circuit.

The original partnership began with Tanner and Kalicki

The Bolshoi started as a writing partnership between Tanner and drummer Jan Kalicki, before the line-up expanded to include bassist Nick Chown and keyboard player Paul Clark. Tanner and Kalicki had known one another since childhood. Their long-standing musical relationship helped give the band a strong internal identity as it developed its own mixture of post-punk, guitar rock and theatrical pop.

Their first single appeared on Situation Two

"Sob Story" was released in March 1985 on Situation Two, the independent label associated with Beggars Banquet. Its B-side was "Amsterdam", while the 12-inch version also included a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic". The single received some Radio 1 daytime airplay, helping the group reach listeners beyond the small venues where they had built their reputation.

"Happy Boy" was a much darker song than its title suggests

The track appeared as a single in 1985 and was later included on the Giants EP. In a revealing interview, Tanner explained that "Jimmy", mentioned in the lyrics, was an imaginary source of protection that he associated with a gun. He was unhappy with the video, which used a child carrying a water pistol, because he felt it misrepresented the song's darker idea.

"Hail Mary" grew out of a childhood television memory

Tanner said that the Mary in "Hail Mary" was a composite character, but that one of the main inspirations was an advertisement he had seen as a child. The advert featured a woman floating in a balloon, her hair blowing in the wind, followed by a glamorous model. Tanner remembered the character as an idealised female figure, and the memory eventually found its way into the song.

The original "Giants" EP was a six-track release

Released by Situation Two in October 1985, Giants contained "Fly", "Sliding Seagulls", "Hail Mary", "Giants", "Happy Boy" and "By the River". It captured an early version of the band before keyboard player Paul Clark became part of the established four-piece line-up. The EP was later issued in the United States by I.R.S. Records, helping introduce the band to an alternative-rock audience across the Atlantic.

The band were difficult for critics to categorise

Contemporary publicity repeatedly struggled to put The Bolshoi into a single musical box. Their songs combined dark lyrical subjects and a post-punk atmosphere with danceable rhythms, prominent guitar and memorable choruses. The band's own 1987 publicity material described this refusal to settle into one style as part of their identity rather than a problem to be corrected.

"A Way" was a breakthrough before the debut album

"A Way" appeared as a single in 1986, ahead of the album Friends. Produced by Mick Glossop, it attracted considerable attention as an import in the United States. The track also helped secure the band support slots with Peter Murphy and Love and Rockets, placing them in front of audiences already interested in darker alternative music.

Tanner wrote "Away" after watching a couple argue in a pub

In a 1998 interview, Tanner said that the lyrics for "Away" came to him while he was sitting alone in a pub. He noticed a woman arguing with her boyfriend and felt the situation exposed something pathetic about the people involved. He said the song emerged in a stream of consciousness in about three minutes. The track's unsettling family story was therefore sparked by an ordinary scene in a public place.

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Their debut album had two possible names

The 1986 album was released as Friends, but contemporary I.R.S. publicity also called it Friends or Fiends. The alternative title suited an album full of uneasy relationships, moral ambiguity and sharply observed characters. The final release contains ten tracks, including "Away", "Sunday Morning", "Modern Man" and "Books on the Bonfire".

"Sunday Morning" takes aim at churchgoing rather than belief itself

The song from Friends is often read as an attack on organised religion. An AllMusic review noted that Tanner's target was not necessarily God, but the experience of going to church and the apparent innocence of the people gathered there. The song's dark subject matter is balanced by Paul Clark's piano, which gives it a reflective and almost nostalgic atmosphere.

"Books on the Bonfire" was part of the band's live set before the album

The song became a single in 1986 and was included on Friends. It was already among the band's live favourites when the album was promoted, demonstrating how much of their recorded material had been road-tested before release. The 12-inch single also included "Boss" and "A Funny Thing...", giving fans material beyond the album track itself.

The band played two nights at the Marquee Club

By the time of the Friends campaign, The Bolshoi had developed a strong live following and were touring in both Britain and the United States. Their record-company biography highlighted two packed nights at London's Marquee Club. Contemporary reviews emphasised Tanner's theatrical presence and his ability to make the audience feel part of the performance.

Tanner sometimes introduced himself as Eric Clapton

The band's stage performance could be deliberately provocative and humorous. A contemporary profile recalled Tanner introducing himself at a gig as "the most beautiful man in England and the world" and the most talented guitarist in Christendom, before giving the name Eric Clapton. This theatrical self-mockery was part of a live persona that kept audiences guessing rather than presenting the band as solemn goth-rock figures.

"Please" opened a different side of Lindy's Party

The band's second album, released in 1987, began with "Auntie Jean" on the LP track listing, while "Please" was the first single. The single combined a yearning vocal with prominent strings and a sweeping melody. It showed that The Bolshoi could make a more openly romantic and expansive record without abandoning the unease that characterised much of their work.

"Can You Believe It" contains a striking violin interruption

On Lindy's Party, "Can You Believe It" blends a Kraftwerk-like electronic pulse with a rock-and-roll feel. The contemporary album biography singled out the way a violin solo abruptly interrupts the track, describing the effect as both violent and beautiful. That unexpected arrangement is a good example of the band's willingness to disrupt a song just as it seems to settle into a groove.

"T.V. Man" mixes pop hooks with a cynical portrait of television

Released as a single in 1987, "T.V. Man" became one of the defining tracks on Lindy's Party. The record-company notes described its central character as paying homage to television heroes, including Dirty Harry, and to the power of the television itself. The song's catchy surface contrasts with the darker, satirical outlook that runs through much of Tanner's writing.

"Barrowlands" revealed a more theatrical side

While several tracks on Lindy's Party were built around direct pop hooks, "Barrowlands" was noted for its darker, more theatrical atmosphere. The song later became a favourite among listeners who appreciated the band's more shadowy material. It illustrates how The Bolshoi could move between accessible singles and stranger, more dramatic compositions within the same album.

Tanner's post-Bolshoi work included an unreleased band project

After The Bolshoi's original period, Tanner continued writing and recording with other musicians. One project, Kite, produced demos and press material in the early 1990s, although its planned album was never released. Tanner also issued solo recordings, including the extensive Bullish, Bellyache & Belch collection, which gathered dozens of pieces from his work in progress.

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