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Company of Cowards were student union stalwarts between 1986-1990, leaving only their '18 Again' ep for posterity.
The compilation CD 'A Mouthful Of Tuesdays' was released in June 2007.
- Glenn Street
(Bass, Backing Vocals)
- Ian Montague
(Guitar, Backing Vocals)
- Lisa Newsome
(Drums)
- Nicky Ager
(Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica)
- Visits: 4618
- Listens: 132
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Blog
Cowards Compilation CD Released
29/06/2007 11:14:26 By Ex-Coward
'A Mouthful Of Tuesdays', a CD compilation of all the Cowards' recordings between 1987 and 1989 was released on 29 June by Firestation Records of Berlin(www.firestation-records.de).
It is available in the UK from Rough Trade (http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=284180), in Germany from Firestation Records by emailing: uwe@firestation-records.de, in Japan from Apple Crumble Records (http://www.apple-crumble.com/), Blue Very Records (http://disques-blue-very.cdx.jp/web.html), Fastcut Records (http://www.fastcutrecords.com/) and Arch Records (http://www.arch-records.com/), in Canada from Poppolar.com (http://www.poppolar.com/index.asp) and in the USA from Indiepages (http://www.indiepages.com/).
You can also visit the Cowards own brand spanking new website at: www.companyofcowards.co.uk/.
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Leamington Spa
30/03/2007 16:53:59 By ex-Coward
Although having never knowingly set foot in the place, a Company Of Cowards track will be included on the 'Sound Of Leamington Spa: Volume 6' compilation (www.twee.net/spa/), due for release in May 2007. Following on from this, the Cowards' own compilation: 'A Mouthful Of Tuesdays' is to be released on Firestation Records (www.firestation-records.de).
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From Start To Finish
26/02/2007 10:24:42 By ex-Coward
The beginning of the end for Company Of Cowards arrived when firm-jawed singer Nicky Ager announced to a packed Astoria in London’s Charing Cross Road that the following song would be the Cowards’ last of the evening. The unanimous cheer that greeted this news was the first cheer of the evening and was very loud.
The Cowards were, most inappropriately, the opening act for a Blues Brothers tribute act and it was apparent that the porkpie hatted, sunglasses wearing audience had not been seduced by the Cowards’ gentle musings. After a desultory final song, the Cowards trudged off the stage with their oxblood Dr. Marten shoes feeling heavier than ever before. After the gig, the band’s dynamic young management duo were noticeably distant…eye contact was avoided and backs remained unslapped.
This had been a chance for the Cowards to impress on a large stage and to win over a big crowd with their witty couplets and fetching facial hair. The chance was blown, the Cowards never really regained their composure and the management’s post-gig shiftiness soon turned into full scale phone call avoidance.
Up to that defining moment, things had gone pretty well for the Cowards. They formed in 1986 without too much difficulty – a marriage of convenience between the songwriting duo of Nicky Ager (vocals and guitar) and Ian Montague (guitar), and a between-bands rhythm section of Glenn Street (bass) and Lisa Newsome (drums).
Gigs were aplenty at any polytechnic Student Union bar within driving distance from London, an agent and management team were secured, A & R men started appearing at gigs, their '18 Again' EP was receiving airplay, favourable reviews in the music press appeared, their demos were being produced by name-record producers…surely indie stardom was just a formality. Then the Astoria 'incident' happened.
Shortly after, the Cowards were playing at the Bull And Gate in London’s glittering Kentish Town. The gig promoter was a large man with a shoulder bag full of cheese filled bread rolls that he steadily worked his way through during the course of the evening. Whenever he saw a loitering Coward, he sidled up to them – surprisingly nimbly for a man of his impressive size – and whispered "Company Of Cowards…great band". What he meant, it was clear, was 'Company Of Cowards are only playing in my venue because I owed someone a favour'. It was another disheartening piece of unpleasantness, this time flecked with stray particles of Red Leicester cheese.
Company of Cowards played their final gig at Ealing college in early 1990. As a farewell it had moments of poignancy although many of the quiet passages were rendered inaudible by the college rugby team who were have a pre-match bonding session at the bar.
Company of Cowards left only their '18 Again' EP for posterity.
There are, incredibly, plans afoot for the release of a compilation of all the Cowards recordings and, throwing caution to the wind, reckless talk of a reunion gig to mark the release of the CD.
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