Farmer's Boys

The Farmer's Boys came out of Norwich in 1981, spent a short spell calling themselves Bang Goes My Stereo, and then settled on a name that suited the act perfectly: a knowing, tongue-in-cheek country-bumpkin image and a sense of humour aimed mostly at themselves. The London press wasn't always amused, and some of the notices were savage, but that was part of the charm.

They started out as a trio leaning on a drum machine, and the sound that came out of it was a peculiar hybrid, country and western, disco and punk all crammed into the same small barn. Credited simply as Baz, Frog, Mark and Stan, they shared countless bills with the Higsons and became one of the anchors of the Norwich scene, a scrappy crowd of post-punk bands mixing indie guitars with dance-floor rhythms.

"I Think I Need Help", their first single, came out on a local label in April 1982, and John Peel played it, took up their cause and invited them in for several sessions. David Jensen did the same, and they cut three sessions for his show across 1982 and 1983. "Whatever Is He Like?" came the same year, all nervy bounce and eye-rolling wit. EMI came calling next, reissuing "More Than a Dream" as their first single for the label in January 1983, and the band kept going until 1985.

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