Bio:
Ski Patrol achieved a considerable following on London's post-punk scene during the years 1979-81, their output limited to three 7" singles and a session for Radio 1's John Peel show, but like most young bands they were much larger in their mind's eye than was apparent to the public at large. Formed in a squat in South London by Ian Lowery and Nick Clift in late 1979, the band recruited bassist Peter Balmer and drummer Bruce Archibald for their first recordings at Alaska Studios in Waterloo. Out of these sessions came a single "Everything Is Temporary / Silent Scream" which they self-released in early 1980 with the help of the Rough Trade organization.
Archibald returned to his studies soon after and was replaced by Alan Cole, an inventive if hyper-active individual with a gift for spontaneous emphasis that became central to the band's recordings. After gigging around town, Lowery's explosive, often belligerent stage antics and Clift and Balmer's musical pull and push brought them to the attention of Malicious Damage, a fledgling label and management operation formed to release the early work of Killing Joke.
A second single, the brooding hypnotic "Agent Orange", was recorded somewhere along the Portobello Rd in 1980 and released that summer, again through Rough Trade. It was a quick and unfussy recording but remains their best known work, not least for the improvised synthesizer washes, generously provided by Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman.
Their third single, recorded with new bassist Francis Cook shortly after their one and only John Peel session in January 1981, was the angular and dub-heavy "Cut", written by Clift using a half-tonal harmonic shift between the guitar and bass lines, which were heavily flanged, quite common at the time. The B-Side "Faith In Transition" was also a highlight of the band's output, containing a classic, snarky Loweryism..."Indifference is the fashionable disease, I observe, I can fake it with ease". Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of other Ski Patrol material (music or photos) should feel free to contact this site. Ian Lowery passed away in 2001, age 45. This site is dedicated to his memory. 

Members:
1979: Ian Lowery (Vocals) Nick Clift (Guitar) Peter Balmer (Bass) Bruce Archibald (Drums)
1980: Ian Lowery (Vocals) Nick Clift (Guitar) Peter Balmer (Bass) Alan Cole (Drums)
1981: Ian Lowery (Vocals) Nick Clift (Guitar) Francis Cook (Bass) Alan Cole (Drums)

Artwork: Mike Coles @ Malicious Damage





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