When Keith Nuttall moved to Liverpool in 1983, he acquired a synthesiser, experimented with sequencing and adopted a more heavily-processed guitar sound. He decided to start a band, and advertised for musicians*. He formed Paddy’s Wigwam with no-nonsense bassist Bryn Frankland, and flamboyant singer/violinist Charlotte Hodgson.
Keith, Bryn and Charlotte composed and recorded a number of demos under the working title The Rabbit and the Dog, which continues to gather dust, along with all Keith’s other demo tapes from the eighties.
Some of the tracks had potential, but the band struggled to find time in their hectic lives to write and play together. Plans to perform were never made, and the band fizzled out a few months later. Keith later co-founded Back to the Grind and went on to join First Night with the Indians.
Personnel
- Keith Nuttall – guitar and synthesiser
- Bryn Frankland – bass and guitar
- Charlotte Hodgson – voice and violin
Listen
* The first person to audition was a young man called Nitin Sawhney, who surprised Keith with virtuosity in both keyboards and guitar. But, they had no common musical ground, so he wasn’t recruited. Nitin went on to become quite a famous musician. Keith’s wife delights in telling this story to their friends.
Later that year, Keith, Nitin, and friends John and Bruce, formed The Temple City Moose Club — a joke/concept band, playing the wrong instruments enthusiastically with minimal rehearsal. They were booked to support chart act The Lotus Eaters, but were dropped when their MO was discovered.
Nitin recently appeared on Desert Island Discs. When asked if anyone ever said “no” to him, he replied that it never happens. Keith’s wife briefly considered phoning in.