The Bolshoi

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The Bolshoi
(Left to right: Nick Chown, Jan Kalicki, Trevor Tanner, Paul Clark)
Background information
Origin	Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England
Genres	Post-punk gothic rock alternative rock new wave
Years active	1984–1988, 1999 (studio only), 2023-present
Labels	Situation Two Beggars Banquet I.R.S.
Spinoffs	The Bolshoi Brothers
Past members	Trevor Tanner Jan Kalicki Paul Clark Nick Chown Graham Cox
Website	TheBolshoi.co.uk

The Bolshoi are a London-based English music group prominent mostly in the mid- to late 1980s. They are best known for the hits "Sunday Morning" and "A Way" or "Away" (the names are interchangeable and both have been cited on different album/single releases).

The band formed in 1984 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England.^[1][2] The original lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Trevor Tanner, drummer Jan Kalicki, and bassist Graham Cox. Tanner and Kalicki had previously played together in the short-lived punk band Moskow, where Trevor performed as Trevor Flynn (his mother's maiden name). Early gigs supported the likes of the Cult, the March Violets and the Lords of the New Church. After eight gigs bass player Graham Cox was replaced by Nick Chown. In 1985, the band released their debut single, "Sob Story", followed by the mini-album, Giants, and their hit song "Happy Boy".^[3] Word of mouth was such that the Bolshoi were able to sell out many of their early headlining performances.

The band moved to London in 1985, and their line-up expanded to include Paul Clark on keyboards (born 12 June 1962, Leeds, Yorkshire).^[3] In 1986, they released their first full-length album, Friends,^[3] and expanded their touring schedule to the U.S., South America and Poland. It was followed in 1987 by the album Lindy's Party, on which the sound was more pop-oriented.^[3] TC Wall, reviewing the album in Underground magazine, described Lindy's Party as "completely confident, commercial, professional, and dangerously catchy" and "a fine album that'll be caressed for generations."^[4]

Stylistically, the Bolshoi were difficult to categorize. The band has been described as a proto-goth band, similar in their live act to fellow Beggars Banquet signees Bauhaus. Tanner was recognized for his dark, pensive lyrics that belied a social responsibility and awareness.

After the release of Lindy's Party, the band recorded a fourth album. However, problems with their record-label management impeded its release, and they disbanded in 1988.^[3][5] The previously unreleased fourth album, titled Country Life, had been lost for years, but was later released by Beggars Banquet with extensive help from Tanner's current record label-head and creative director, David Paul Wyatt Perko.

In December 2018, the Bolshoi's official Facebook page announced frontman Trevor Tanner and keyboardist Paul Clark were developing a new project, tentatively called The Bolshoi Brothers.

In November 2022, following the launch of their website, The Bolshoi Brothers released "Steam Funk", a track from their debut album scheduled for release in 2023.

Former members

• Trevor Tanner – lead vocals, guitars (1983-1988)
• Jan Kalicki – drums, backing vocals (1983-1988)
• Graham Cox – bass, backing vocals (1983-1985)
• Paul Clark – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (1986-1988)
• Nick Chown – bass, backing vocals (1985-1988)

1985: BIGGER GIANTS

1. Fly (3:54)
2. Sliding Seagulls (4:52)
3. Hail Mary (4:12)
4. Giants (4:56)
5. Happy Boy (Original Mix) (6:07)
6. By The River (5:45)

Bonus Tracks

1. Foxes (3:16)
2. M.F.P. (4:39)
3. Billy's New Boots (5:18)
4. Sob Story (4:07)
5. Amsterdam (2:56)
6. Crosstown Traffic (3:36)
7. Boxes (3:31)
8. Holiday By The Sea (4:41)
9. Away (Demo) (5:02)
10. Sunday Morning (Demo) (5:43)
11. Books On The Bonfire (Demo) (5:11)

1986: FRIENDS

1. Away (4:57)
2. Modern Man (5:39)
3. Someone's Daughter (3:54)
4. Sunday Morning (6:35)
5. Looking For A Life To Lose (4:44)
6. Romeo In Clover (Call Girls) (5:39)
7. Books On The Bonfire (4:59)
8. Pardon Me (4:37)
9. Fat And Jealous (4:11)
10. Waspy (5:13)

Bonus Tracks

1. A Funny Thing... (3:53)
2. Boss (4:13)
3. Razzle Dazzle (5:00)
4. Black Black Black (3:13)
5. Toys Xmas Party (2:44)
6. Pardon Me (Demo) (3:58)
7. Fat And Jealous (Demo) (3:14)

1987: LINDY'S PARTY

1. Auntie Jean (5:02)
2. Please (3:39)
3. Crack In Smile (6:09)
4. Swings And Roundabouts (3:51)
5. She Don't Know (4:56)
6. T.V. Man (4:39)
7. Can You Believe It (4:32)
8. Rainy Day (3:37)
9. Barrowlands (3:55)
10. Lindy's Party (5:45)

Bonus Tracks

1. Please (12" Single Mix) (6:39)
2. West Of London Town (5:29)
3. T.V. Man (7" Single Edit) (3:38)
4. Strawberries And Cream (3:55)
5. I'm Depressed (We All Die) (4:25)

1988: COUNTRY LIFE (released 2015)

1. World In Action (3:54)
2. Under The Shed (3:32)
3. What's Your Favourite Colour (4:36)
4. Country Life (5:25)
5. We Don't Want Him Here (3:35)
6. Boy From The Nursery World (4:06)
7. Long Tall Sally In A Black Dress (4:32)
8. Too Late (6:05)
9. Out There In The Distance (6:32)
10. Castaway (5:47)
11. Dolores Jones (6:03)
12. Yee Hee (4:55)
13. Madame Hecate (5:34)
14. Last Chance For The Slow Dance (4:19)
15. Everything Is Done For You Today (5:44)

• 1990: Bigger Giants (Beggars Banquet Records)
• 1999: A Way - Best of the Bolshoi (Beggars Banquet Records)
• 2006: A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box (Rhino Records)
• 2015: The Bolshoi 5 CD Box Set (The Arkive)

• 1985: "Sob Story"
• 1985: "Giants"
• 1985: "Happy Boy"
• 1986: "Books on the Bonfire"
• 1986: "Away"
• 1986: "Sunday Morning"
• 1987: "T.V. Man"
• 1987: "Away II"
• 1987: "Please"
• 2024: “Dolores Jones 2023”

• The Bolshoi at Beggars Arkive / Beggars Banquet

• Old Fan Site (does not update but has a ton of info pre-2008)

• The Bolshoi Brothers

• The Bolshoi Bandcamp

• Trevor Tanner (The Bolshoi Frontman) Solo Releases --> EPR