Thanks so much to Stewart for the interview! I wrote about The Marigolds a few months ago on the blog and he was kind enough to get in touch and to answer the many questions I had about his band! The band didn’t release many records but they recorded more than a handful of songs that appeared on two flexis and many tape compilations in the 90s. If you have never heard them, this is a good time to discover them!

++ Hi Stewart! Thanks so much for being up for this interview and getting in touch! How are you? Still making music?

Hello! I’m good thanks, and very flattered someone’s still interested in the Marigolds! Yep, still playing guitar a bit, currently in a garage punk band in Margate, just doing covers so far. We’re still trying to decide on a name.

++ I guess my first question is if I was right, that the band was based in Watton, Norfolk?

Yeah, sort of. We were all from that mid-Norfolk area. Mark (aka Skyflower) the singer lived in Watton, Liam the drummer lived in nearby Ashill, I lived in a place called Dereham 10 miles or so up the road. We all met while doing our A’levels at college in King’s Lynn.

++ Let’s start from the beginning. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen at home while growing up?

I had an exceptionally cool uncle who was a massive influence. I borrowed a bass guitar from him when I was 12 or 13, and he got me into a lot of great music. He was into the Smiths in a big way, and had seen loads of groups like the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and The Damned back in the days that bands like that used to play in Norfolk. I got into what you’d call ‘indie’ music when I was 12 or 13, started reading the music papers, listening to Peel and all that, and gradually my interest moved from bands like Pixies, The House of Love and The Wedding Present towards more indie-pop stuff like The Pastels and The Pooh Sticks.
As far as first instruments go, I picked up some amazing guitars from car boot sales around Norfolk – 1960s Burns semi-acoustics, Fender Musicmasters, that kind of thing, for like £50 a go. It was crazy. People were just chucking this stuff out and had no real idea of its value. I can’t remember which was first, but I usually just sold them on and regretted it instantly.
I learned to play (if you can call it that) using some decidedly dodgy Burt Weedon ‘Play in a day’ books from the 1950s. I think I cut a lot of them up and used them in my fanzine, actually. I got the hang of a few chords and then kind of stopped bothering!

++ Were you involved in other bands before the Marigolds? Is it true that the band was formed when two local bands The Rosemarys and The Chocolate Mopeds joined forces? And are there any recordings by any of these bands?

Haha, The Rosemarys and The Chocolate Mopeds were both entirely made up. I’m not sure why we did that.
I played bass for a shoegazey band called Holland before we formed the Marigolds with a friend called Jez, a guitarist called Jamie, and Carl, the drummer, who later played bass for The Spinning Jennys and also played with The Marigolds once. I’m sure there’s a tape somewhere.

++ How was around your town back then? Were there any bands that you liked? What were the good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

There wasn’t much going on in Dereham or Watton. We’d spend most of our time in Norwich. The Wilde Club at Norwich Arts Centre was a really special place. We’d spend most Monday nights there, and saw some incredible bands. Great indie-pop like Heavenly, 14 Iced Bears, The Field Mice and The Orchids, but loads of wider indie stuff… The Stone Roses, Lush, Pale Saints, Thrilled Skinny, King of the Slums… even Nirvana, and usually for about £2.50. We were spoilt really. It was the club were Richie Manic famously carved ‘4 Real’ into his arm, though I missed that one.
Backs Records was great for rummaging through the singles box in front of slightly intimidating staff. Lizard and Andy’s were pretty good too. Even HMV was good for picking up indie-pop stuff.

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?

Mark and I started the band after making friends over a shared love of The Brilliant Corners in the library at Kings Lynn college. We were just a two-piece for a fair amount of time. That’s how most of the songs were written. We used a drum machine on our first demo then added Liam on drums around the time of the Two Of A Kind flexi.

++ There were a few lineup changes too, right?

Yep, there were. Carl and Phil played drums and bass for one gig at a friend’s party, which was a pretty shambolic affair. I think we managed to play one song all the way through. Mark’s brother Paul played bass very briefly. In fact, I think it was just once in Mark’s living room! But myself, Mark and Liam was the best-established line-up. Later Liam took over on vocals after I lost touch with Mark somehow. We recorded a few more songs, and played a gig in Leeds supporting the Fat Tulips with the help of Christine from Milky Wimpshake on bass, my housemate Zoe on Farfisa organ, Neil from Bouquet on guitar and (I think) Stewart from Boyracer on drums. I can’t bloody remember!

++ Why the name the The Marigolds?

It was a nod to Amelia Fletcher’s one-time pseudonym in Talulah Gosh. About as twee as it gets…

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

Mark wrote the lyrics and I wrote the music, and we somehow cobbled the two together. We either practised at his house or mine when our parents were out.

++ You were around in the early 90s, but whoever listens to your music might categorize you as a C86 band. What do you think of that term? Do you like it? Were you fan of the bands from this period?

I don’t mind the term at all, and we definitely embraced what people consider to be the C86 sound. We were massive fans of bands from that period, and while I can understand why a lot of bands weren’t happy being lumped in with it, for us, who were just a bit too young at the time but latched onto it a few years later, it was synonymous with the jangly, shambling sound of early Primal Scream, The Pastels, McCarthy and Mighty Mighty. But yeah, I can see why a lot of the less-than jangly bands on the original compilation might have taken issue with it. I always preferred the term ‘indie-pop’.

++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

We were big fans of Sarah bands, a lot of the Subway and 53rd and 3rd bands. I was a huge Pastels fan, Mark was a huge BMX Bandits fan. We actively tried to sound like a lot of those acts, but I’m not sure we pulled it off.

++ You first released a split flexi in 1992 on the label Mindgasm Records. Who were behind this label?

It was Stuart and Sharon from Weasel’s label. They pressed the flexi to sell with their fanzine Mummy Magazine. Weasel were based in Birmingham, part of the Sensateria crowd that spawned the Sea Urchins and The Field Trip. We never actually met, but exchanged dozens of letters as was the way back then. Stuart did me a couple of awesome ‘60s psych/garage tapes than which had a big influence on my music tastes. I still listen to them!

++ On the flexi you cover Syd Barrett’s song “Two of a Kind”. Why did you choose that song? Did you usually play other covers?

I was really into Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd at the time. I used to work weekends on a milk round, and the milkman I worked for was a massive Pink Floyd fan and turned me onto it. I was even paid with a gatefold version of the two Syd Barrett LPs for some overtime.

++ Then most of your songs appeared on various compilations. I think my favourite might be “Sherbet Girl”. If it is not much to ask, what is the story of this song, what inspired it?

Mark wrote the lyrics to that one, so you’d have to ask him. I guess it’s a love/sweetshop metaphor taken to extremes. Or it’s about cannibalism.

++ You appear on a superb compilation called “The Secret of Confident Dressing” that was released by Kaw tapes where there were so many classic bands in it. To me it seems that during these years there was quite a scene for compilation tapes. How did you usually end up on them? What was the process?

Yeah, there were hundreds of them around. People just wrote to us and asked if we’d give them a song and we always said yes. I have no idea how many we eventually ended up on.

++ You appeared on the “C92” tape too and also in continental Europe, on two tapes on Elefant Records. But I’m curious about the labels I don’t know, maybe you remember them, Flaming Katy, Rainbow, Does This Work? or Meg Records. Have any clue about them?

Haha, no idea whatsoever! Sorry! We were asked if we’d appear on tapes all the time and we never said no.

++ I know you released a demo tape called “Doing the Washing Up with the Marigolds”. Was this the only demo tape you released? Were the tracks on it all of your recordings?

We were always recording demos. I think that’s just the one we gave a title to and made an inlay card for.

++ And where did you usually record your songs?

We recorded our first demo at a friend of Mark’s place somewhere in the Norfolk countryside. He had a little studio in his house. The ‘Two Of A Kind’ flexi was recorded up in Nottingham. Neil from Bouquet/Windmill Records produced it for us using a Tascam portastudio. Looking back, it’s by far the best thing we did. It was ‘Two of a Kind’ (with Rachel from Bouquet on backing vocals), ‘Let the Sun Shine’ and (I think) ‘Everything I Had’. It was a really, really memorable weekend.
After that, I got myself a little portastudio which we recorded all the later stuff on.
For some reason, I haven’t got a copy of any of these demos, so if anyone out there does have them, please give me a shout!

++ Lastly there’s your contribution to the “Searching For the Blake Hall” 7″ on Pillarbox Red. Will that be your whole discography? Or am I missing anything?

Yep, just the two flexis, and songs on dozens of compilation tapes.

++ Why weren’t there any proper releases?

Haha, I’ll leave that for the readers to decide! There was talk of a Pillarbox Red 7”, but we kind of fell apart before anything happened.

++ Was there any interest in your music by any labels?

Just Pillarbox Red, really. From what I can remember we had a split single in the pipeline before we went our separate ways, so that never came off. We sent a few demo tapes to Sarah and Heaven records, which was the dream, but didn’t get anywhere. I seem to remember hassling Matt from Heaven Records on a pretty regular basis!

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? What was the farthest you played from your town?

Just two – one at John’s party in Watton, and the other upstairs at The Fenton in Leeds, supporting the Fat Tulips. Stewart from Boyracer and Steve from Octopus fanzine also played as The Golden Spires, doing a set of Golden Dawn covers.

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

We were pretty drunk for the first one. We were all 16 or 17 playing at a friend’s house party while his parents were away. These were the days of Thunderbird and MD20/20, before British teenagers swapped binge drinking for social media. We stumbled through about two songs. I seem to remember Mark singing while slumped in an armchair. There’s a tape somewhere, and we somehow got a good reception.
The Fenton gig was funny too. Liam sang with a fake Rickenbacker slung over his neck. It had Rickenbacker felt-tipped over a patch of Tipp-Ex on the headstock. He couldn’t play guitar, and didn’t even mime. Zoe played a weird sort of Hammer Horror organ soundtrack over the top of the songs. Christine from Milky Wimpshake sang ‘Two of a Kind’ that night. I remember that being amazing. Definitely the highlight.

++ When and why did the Marigolds stop making music? Were you involved in any other bands afterwards?

We all left Norfolk to go to university. I headed to Leeds, Mark to Middlesbrough and Liam to London, so it all just fizzled out really.
I joined Boyracer for about six months or so, just before they got signed to Sarah, playing 12-string guitar on a short tour with Blueboy. I played bass in a band called Quant a few years later – kind of mod/psych ‘60s stuff. They released a single on Detour Records. I left the band in rather acrimonious circumstances and hung up my bass for a couple of decades as a result.

++ What about the rest of the band, had they been in other bands?

I have no idea! I haven’t seen or heard from Mark since 1992. I’ve tried tracking him down, but can’t find him anywhere.

++ Has there ever been a reunion? Or talks of playing again together?

There hasn’t, no. We’ve all lost touch, and I’m not sure it’d be a massive crowd-puller! I’d definitely be up for it, though!

++ Did you get much attention from the radio or press?

None whatsoever! I don’t think we ever expected any coverage. It was all very DIY, and we embraced our ineptitude. We never expected to be on the cover of the NME or anything like that!

++ What about from fanzines?

Yeah, we got loads of coverage in fanzines. We all wrote our own (Cherry Fizz Pop!, Flowers in the Sky and Colour Me Pop) and were very involved with that scene. I can’t recall which ones we appeared in, though – apart from our own and Mummy Magazine.

++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

Definitely the ‘Two of a Kind’ flexi. I think it stands up pretty well. I love the backing vocals on it, and think it’s a pretty good stab at an amazing song. And it’s great to have something tangible to remember The Marigolds by.

++ Been in the UK many times but never visited your area. So maybe I can ask for some suggestions? Like what are the sights I shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?

Ha, OK. Well, I live in Margate these days, which is a seaside town in the south east. I’d definitely recommend coming here. Nice sandy beach, great restaurants and bars, nice seafood, and a very good music scene. Norfolk is really beautiful, too. Not so much Dereham and Watton where we were based, but the North Norfolk coast is stunning.

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Listen
The Marigolds – Sherbet Girl