(c’85-’89) Ben Mitchell (drums), John Mitchell (guitar), Simon Ashby (vocals/guitar), and Robert S. (bass/keyboards).
John Mitchell, Ashby and S. were at school together and started toying with covers during lunch, eventually forming Art23. There was a brief hiatus when the three of them did their own thing, but eventually they got back together and continued as a trio for a while. Ben Mitchell, John’s cousin, was invited to join and The Jeremiahs were formed.
In ’85 a 2-track demo carrying an early version of “Never Come Back“ and “Bluer Days” was self-released. In July/August “Wipe Away the Tears“ and “Over the Stove“ appeared on another 2-track demo, we’ll call the VM Studios demo. In November ’86 they recorded 4 tracks: “Satan Shoes”, “Candyfloss”, “Return of the Spirit Stones” and “The Daffodil Fields”, at The Paradise Club releasing that as a demo. A 3-track demo cassette, carrying “Over the Stove”, “Wipe Away Your Tears”, and “Never Come Back”, also hit the streets in ’86. The Caribbean Club, Basingstoke hosted the band, along with The Particles, on 31 October ’86; and The Buzz Club rounded out ’86, on 15 November, with a local bands gig which featured West One, Steel Bill and the Buffalos, FRA, and Second Balcony Jump on the bill with The Jeremiahs being added late.
The band returned to The Buzz Club at the West End Centre, Aldershot on 7 February ’87, joining Mighty Mighty and The Bridge were on the main stage; while Jim Jiminee played the bar. At some point they started to be managed by Melody Maker staff photographer, Tim Paton. The band were getting considerable airplay on local Reading / Basingstoke station Radio 210. The station put out the vinyl LP “Beyond the Fence Begins the Sky” on Plastic Head Records [PLAS LP 008] in ’87, a compilation of local bands that included The Jeremiahs “Never Come Back”. There was interest from Cherry Red Records which, after the release of “Far from the Maddening” as the opening track on Final Records “The Final Teaze” [FINAL LP42] compilation vinyl EP in ’87; went nowhere. But, also in ’87, Abstract Records put out the bands “Driving into the Sun” vinyl EP.
On 6 March ’88, The Jeremiahs supported The Flatmates at Underground, Croydon and that same month the Aldershot News reported them signing to indie label Abstract Records. On 18 June there was a farewell Buzz Club – as Bluetrain along with the club promoters and band members, Bartlett and Hagan, were off to the states – and along with Bluetrain, The Jeremiahs, Sugar Mountain, Crimplene Explosion, The Aubisons, The Mulberry Ceilings, and The Splendids took to the stage to wish them a bon voyage.
The band also played the Marquee, London. On one such occasion they supported British new wave / pop band G.I. Orange, who were biggish in Japan, and the venue was packed with Japanese girls. They took The Jeremiahs music back to Japan, putting the band top 5 in the Japanese airplay charts and the “Driving into the Sun” EP at No. 6 in Japan.
The band split in ’89 but closed out with a number of farewell gigs at venues like the Trade Union Club, Reading. Post The Jeremiahs, Ashby moved north and formed This Gigantic World, worked in A&R, managed bands, lectured in music business at Salford University, promoted gigs, and DJ’d at Modern Vintage indie night in Manchester. He is also writing for a music mag. S. worked in Japan for a while and may have married one of those Japanese fans.
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