The Swinging Laurels were an Avantgarde group from Leicester, UK.
Formed in 1980 by ex-member of The Wendy Tunes, Gaz Birtles, and ex collaborator of Black Gorilla, John Barrow, both saxophonists. They released their first single as a duo in 1981 and then recruited synth and trumpet player Dean Sargent and keyboardist Mark O'Hara.
They released six singles with a sound based heavily on the saxes, till the end of the '80s and they guested in recordings of other acts like The Apollinaires, Fun Boy Three, Norman Beaton, Worldbackwards, Musical Youth, Splashdown and Team 23.
Links to Peel[]
Peel played some of the group's material in 1982 on his radio programmes, according to available tracklistings on this site. The band did a session for his show in June 1982.
Sessions[]
THE SWINGING LAURELS John Peel 2nd August 1982
1. Recorded: 1982-06-02. First Broadcast: 28 June 1982. Repeated: 22 July 1982
- Rodeo / Murder Mile / Swing The Cat / Beating Heart
Other Shows Played[]
- 1982
- 28 April 1982: Bang Bang....Is Anybody There ? (12" - A Taste Of...) Dining Out
- 17 June 1982 (BBC World Service): Disco Laurels (12" - A Taste Of...) Dining Out