MUSICAL HISTORY: Toby's first band was called the Playschool Barmy Army (PBA). They performed a cappela versions of obscure punk records and played cardboard guitars. They would recruit anyone who could fashion a guitar in wood or cardboard and had the ability to vocalise the sound of one. The PBA's gigs, at local landmarks, were usually attended by a handful of school friends and descended into pubescent nudity and general silliness. When Toby and friends eventually picked up electric instruments, it wasn't long before they began to take music very seriously.
Toby's first proper band, the oddly-named Siere Novar, played its early gigs at their sixth-form college in Godalming. Going against the grain of local hippy-rock bands, they sculpted their hair, applied their make-up and pouted their way around college and town, thinking they were it.
By 1986 or so and now going by the name of 67, the band got their first gig in London at Dingwalls and their first press, albeit in the Surrey Advertiser. As a three-piece, they moved to London in 1987 and holed up, signed on and dropped out, in north Clapham.
Six years later, they got an independent deal with Southern Records. This led to the band recording live for BBC Radio One and a string of favourable reviews in the NME, as well as, support gigs with Morphine, Jesus Lizard and Steve Albini’s Shellac.
After parting with Southern in '95 and changing the band name to Tea, they recruited a saxophonist, and played on for a year or two. They then fell out and split up in dramatic fashion over something childish at the Laurel Tree in Camden.
Toby's first proper band, the oddly-named Siere Novar, played its early gigs at their sixth-form college in Godalming. Going against the grain of local hippy-rock bands, they sculpted their hair, applied their make-up and pouted their way around college and town, thinking they were it.
By 1986 or so and now going by the name of 67, the band got their first gig in London at Dingwalls and their first press, albeit in the Surrey Advertiser. As a three-piece, they moved to London in 1987 and holed up, signed on and dropped out, in north Clapham.
Six years later, they got an independent deal with Southern Records. This led to the band recording live for BBC Radio One and a string of favourable reviews in the NME, as well as, support gigs with Morphine, Jesus Lizard and Steve Albini’s Shellac.
After parting with Southern in '95 and changing the band name to Tea, they recruited a saxophonist, and played on for a year or two. They then fell out and split up in dramatic fashion over something childish at the Laurel Tree in Camden.
Toby's paintings are characterised by the use of reductive mark-making techniques such as wiping, removing and drawing into, wet paint. These techniques have increasingly become the subject of his work which is, consequently, as much about what is removed from the surface of the paintings, as it is about what is added to them.
Toby's more recent abstract paintings apply his painting methods to the creation of simple layered motifs. These aim to challenge the viewer's reading of the painted surface and, in doing so, they reference work by artists such as Bernard Frize and Brice Marden. They also continue an investigation of colour relationships and dynamics.
Toby's more recent abstract paintings apply his painting methods to the creation of simple layered motifs. These aim to challenge the viewer's reading of the painted surface and, in doing so, they reference work by artists such as Bernard Frize and Brice Marden. They also continue an investigation of colour relationships and dynamics.
Toby and friends Mike Wilson and Gavin Richards had played in bands together, under various names and with other musicians, since studying together at sixth-form college in Godalming, Surrey. Around 1987, as a three piece band, they moved to London to sign-on and pursue the rock 'n' roll dream. Around 1990, they settled on the name 67 (the year of our births) and began gigging on the London pub circuit. They recorded demos when they could afford to, and would hawk them around the record companies on foot.
In the early 90s, the boys began hanging around on the Camden scene which was then home to a burgeoning grunge rock scene. Once they got a gig at the Falcon pub in Royal College Street, they began to use this as a regular venue, on our circuitous route around the north London pub scene. Finally, after some helpful attention and promotion by a local fanzine, 67 raised their live profile and finally one of their demos caught the attention of the people at Southern Records - only apparently because Toby was wearing a t-shirt featuring future-labelmates Babes In Toyland, in the accompanying publicity photograph. Southern were better known for their distribution of records by American bands like Fugazi and Jesus Lizard.
In the early 90s, the boys began hanging around on the Camden scene which was then home to a burgeoning grunge rock scene. Once they got a gig at the Falcon pub in Royal College Street, they began to use this as a regular venue, on our circuitous route around the north London pub scene. Finally, after some helpful attention and promotion by a local fanzine, 67 raised their live profile and finally one of their demos caught the attention of the people at Southern Records - only apparently because Toby was wearing a t-shirt featuring future-labelmates Babes In Toyland, in the accompanying publicity photograph. Southern were better known for their distribution of records by American bands like Fugazi and Jesus Lizard.
Toby Burton is the founder of ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP.COM, which supports and networks older musicians and bands active at a local level, and promotes their music and gigs. Its network of websites includes a musicians ads site, a download site, a news blog and a social network.
ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP has become the destination website for older musicians looking to connect with one another in the UK, and is also a place to help those who feel out-of-the-loop to get back into it.
ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP has become the destination website for older musicians looking to connect with one another in the UK, and is also a place to help those who feel out-of-the-loop to get back into it.
Toby has worked at The Stapleford Centre for 17 years as a drug addiction treatment advisor and co-ordinator. The clinic in Belgravia, London, has been providing drug and alcohol addiction treatments for over twenty years.
Toby can transform photographs of your
loved-ones into hand drawn pencil portraits.
Click here for more details
loved-ones into hand drawn pencil portraits.
Click here for more details
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POCKET ROCKET: Out of the ashes of 67 came Pocket Rocket, which began life as just Toby and his drum machine, The Phamtom Limb. Before long he began drafting in musician-friends, including lifelong friend and 67 bass player Michael Wilson, to back him up at gigs and by 2000, Pocket Rocket was playing both electric and acoustic sets around London.
Pocket Rocket disbanded indefinitely in the summer of 2011.
Pocket Rocket disbanded indefinitely in the summer of 2011.
© 2010 Toby Burton Email: toby@tobyburton.co.uk for more information.
The boys signed to Southern, and their first single 'Bright Black' was released in the summer of 1993 to much critical acclaim. 67 played support slots to most of the US bands affiliated with Southern that came to the UK, including Shellac (featuring Steve Albini) and Boys Aganst Girls and began taking their Transit and music nationwide. They got live reviews in the NME and later that year recorded a live session for Steve Lamacq's Evening Show on Radio One. Like their blistering debut single, they seemed to be unstoppable. The second single, 'Gadget', was released later in 1993 to continued enthusiam but by this time the tide of grungey, US-style rock was being replaced by the wave of Bowie, Kinks and Beatles infused Brit-pop by the likes of Suede, Blur, Oasis and Supergrass. This, combined, with the loss, at Southern, of the press officer that had achieved so much for them, led to their third single, the double A-side 'Better & Worse/Jeep With A Beat' receiving little attention.
Much to their disappointment, Southern were not prepared to release 67's debut album at that time, so the two parities went their seperate ways. Sadly, personal differences and competition in the ranks was already beginning to take its toll on the band. Despite, the introduction of Stewart George on saxophone and a name change to the self-consciously British, 'Tea', the end was nigh. Tea, would last a few months, maybe a year, breaking up melodramatically at a gig at the Laurel Tree pub in Camden some time in 1995.
Much to their disappointment, Southern were not prepared to release 67's debut album at that time, so the two parities went their seperate ways. Sadly, personal differences and competition in the ranks was already beginning to take its toll on the band. Despite, the introduction of Stewart George on saxophone and a name change to the self-consciously British, 'Tea', the end was nigh. Tea, would last a few months, maybe a year, breaking up melodramatically at a gig at the Laurel Tree pub in Camden some time in 1995.