Edgar Broughton Band

Biography

Edgar Broughton Band were a British blues rock band founded in Warwick in 1968, and in their initial form were operative through to 1976. They were a power trio consisting of brothers Edgar (vocals and guitar) and Steve Broughton (drums) with Arthur Grant (bass), who were augmented at various times by a second guitarist and/or keyboardist, significantly Victor Unitt. They released five studio albums, including Sing Brother Sing×Sing Brother SingJune 1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1There's No Vibrations, but Wait!4:13A2The Moth: A) the Moth B) People C) Peter5:14A3Momma's Reward (Keep Them Freaks A-Rollin')3:05A4Refugee3:39A5Officer Dan1:39B1Old Gopher3:53B2Aphrodite4:06B3Granma2:27B4Psychopath: A) the Psychopath B) Is for Butterflies6:51B5It's Falling Away5:31 (UK Albums Chart #18), and six singles, including "Out Demons Out×Out Demons Out3 April 1970 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOut Demons Out4:38BMomma’s Reward (Keep Them Freaks A‐Rollin’)3:05" (UK Singles Chart #39), on the EMI Harvest label and one further studio album for NEMS. The group reformed from 1978 to 1982, initially renamed as The Broughtons, issuing two more studio albums, and again from 2006 to 2010 with Edgar's son Luke for live appearances only.

Career

The band started their career as a blues group under the name of The Edgar Broughton Blues Band, playing to a small following in the region around their hometown of Warwick. However, the band began to lean towards the emerging psychedelic movement, dropping the 'Blues' from their name as well as their music.
In 1968, the Edgar Broughton Band moved to Notting Hill Gate, London, seeking a recording contract and a wider audience, and were picked up by Blackhill Enterprises. Blackhill arranged their first record deal, on EMI's progressive rock label Harvest Records, in December 1968. Their first single was "Evil" backed with "Death of an Electric Citizen", released in June 1969, which was also the first single released by Harvest.
The first single was followed by the Edgar Broughton Band's debut album, Wasa Wasa×Wasa WasaJuly 1969 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Death of an Electric Citizen6:08A2American Boy Soldier4:21A3Why Can't Somebody Love Me5:06A4Neptune4:20A5Evil2:35B1Crying5:13B2Love in the Rain3:46B3Dawn Crept Away13:58. Wasa Wasa retained a heavily blues influenced sound that was hard-driven and propelled by Edgar Broughton's gritty vocal style, which was similar to that of Captain Beefheart and Howlin' Wolf. The Broughtons entered into an attempt to capture their live sound on record by organising a performance at Abbey Road on 9 December 1969. Only one track was released at the time: a rendition of "Out Demons Out×Out Demons Out3 April 1970 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOut Demons Out4:38BMomma’s Reward (Keep Them Freaks A‐Rollin’)3:05", an adaptation of The Fugs' song "Exorcising the Demons Out Of the Pentagon", which had become the band's set-closer and anthem. The rest of the recording was lost until its rediscovery and release in a remixed form in 2004 as Keep Them Freaks a Rollin': Live at Abbey Road 1969.
The band's touring attracted some controversy from a series of free concerts at locations such as children's playgrounds, and from a number of cases of civil disorder occurring at their shows. The most notorious incidents were a show in Redcar at which a fight broke out between audience members and led to violent police intervention, and a show in Keele where the audience vandalised the venue using paint given to them by the band. Though the band denied doing anything to incite any of these incidents (in the case of Keele, Edgar Broughton admitted to giving paint to the audience but argued that "we didn't tell them to do anything with it"), several towns banned the group's concerts.
The Edgar Broughton Band kept recording, releasing the live performance of "Out Demons, Out!" as a single (b/w "Momma's Reward (Keep Those Freaks a Rollin')") and following it, in June 1970, with the album Sing Brother Sing×Sing Brother SingJune 1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1There's No Vibrations, but Wait!4:13A2The Moth: A) the Moth B) People C) Peter5:14A3Momma's Reward (Keep Them Freaks A-Rollin')3:05A4Refugee3:39A5Officer Dan1:39B1Old Gopher3:53B2Aphrodite4:06B3Granma2:27B4Psychopath: A) the Psychopath B) Is for Butterflies6:51B5It's Falling Away5:31. This was accompanied by the single "Up Yours!×Up Yours!June 1970 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAUp Yours!3:01BOfficer Dan1:38" (b/w "Officer Dan"), a polemic on the 1970 General Election declaring their intention to drop out. The song featured a string arrangement by David Bedford.
Their next single, "Apache Dropout", combined The Shadows' "Apache" with Captain Beefheart's "Drop Out Boogie". Jerry Lordan, the composer of "Apache", insisted that the title be "Apache Dropout" instead of the original "Drop out Apache". The single reached No. 33 on the UK Singles Chart.
In 1971, the band decided that existence as a power trio was limiting, and asked Victor Unitt, who had been playing meanwhile in The Pretty Things, to rejoin the band. In May, with the new lineup, they released their eponymous third album, which contained "Evening Over Rooftops" (again with strings by Bedford). Edgar Broughton Band contained heavy blues and even country influences.
The album was followed by the release of the double A-side "Hotel Room×Hotel Room25 June 1971 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHotel Room4:06BCall Me a Liar4:25"/"Call Me A Liar". The single failed to chart, but the album sold well throughout Europe, especially in Germany.
With the success of their third album, the Edgar Broughton Band relocated to Devon to begin recording for their next album, In Side Out×In Side OutJuly 1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Medley: Get Out of Bed / There’s Nobody There / Side by Side3:41A2Sister Angela0:40A3I Got Mad3:38A4They Took It Away2:26A5Homes Fit for Heroes4:18A6Gone Blue3:12A7Chilly Morning Momma4:32B1The Rake2:40B2Totin’ This Guitar1:36B3Double Agent2:52B4It’s Not You11:10B5Rock ’n’ Roll2:55. The band then recorded their fifth album, Oora, in 1972; following the release of this album Unitt departed the band.
In 1975 the band signed to NEMS. In the same year, John Thomas joined the band on guitar for the Broughtons' sixth album, Bandages×BandagesJuly 1976 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Get a Rise4:592Speak Down the Wires3:143John Wayne3:104The Whale5:355Germany4:346Love Gang2:547One to Seven5:088Lady Life3:069Signal Injector4:0310Frühling Flowers (For Claudia)5:0211I Want to Lie4:36. This featured a softer sound than previous releases. Shortly after the release of Bandages, Thomas left and was replaced by Terry Cottam. In 1976, having recorded the live album Live Hits Harder (which was not released until 1979), the Edgar Broughton Band dissolved.
However, Edgar and Steve Broughton together with Grant regrouped as The Broughtons to release Parlez-Vous English? in 1979, with Tom Nordon and Pete Tolson (ex-the Pretty Things) playing guitar and Richard de Bastion on keyboards. This was the Band's first adventure into a fuller, more orchestral style of heavy rock. Pete Tolson was not retained after the release of the album and was replaced by Thomas for the two years of European touring that followed. Tom Nordon appears again, along with keyboardists Duncan Bridgeman and Dennis Haynes, on Superchip, released in 1982.
After this the band dissolved again; recording no more studio material but touring infrequently throughout the 1980s and 1990s. A mini-tour in 1989 called Draw The Line in 89 included a gig at The Oval in London. The band reformed properly once again in 2006, with Edgar's son Luke joining on keyboards and guitar, after the re-issue of their back catalogue had stimulated new interest in their work. They had a mini tour of England and Germany then completed a European tour in 2007, including an appearance at the German Burg Herzberg Festival. The Edgar Broughton Band disbanded once again in 2010, with Edgar Broughton opting to continue to perform as a solo artist.
Drummer Steve Broughton died on 29 May 2022.
Bass player Arthur Grant died on 31 August 2026.

Personnel

Edgar Broughton – lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion, bass (1968–1976, 1978–1982, 1989, 2006–2010)
Steve Broughton – drums, percussion, vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards (1968–1976, 1978–1982, 1989, 2006–2010)
Arthur Grant – bass, vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion (1968–1976, 1978–1982, 1989, 2006–2010)
Victor Unitt – guitars, keyboards, vocals (1971–1973)
Digger Davies – lead guitar (1975)
Richard Moore – guitar, vocals (1975) Norway tour
John Thomas – guitars, bass, vocals (1975–1976, 1979–1981)
Terry Cottam – guitars, vocals (1976)
Tom Nordon – guitars, vocals (1978–1982)
Richard de Bastion – keyboards, vocals (1978–1981)
Pete Tolson – guitars (1978–1979)
Duncan Bridgeman – keyboards (1981–1982)
Dennis Haynes – keyboards, vocals (1981–1982)
Philip James Manchester – keyboards (1981)
John Wesley Barker – keyboards (1987)
Luke Broughton – keyboards, guitars, vocals (2006–2010)
Andrew Taylor – guitars, vocals (2006–2008)
Dave Cox – guitars (2008–2010)

Studio albums

Wasa Wasa (1969)
Sing Brother Sing (1970) – No. 18 UK
Edgar Broughton Band (1971) – No. 28 UK
In Side Out (1972)
Oora (1973)
Bandages (1976)
The Broughtons
Parlez-Vous English? (1979)
Superchip: The Final Silicon Solution? (1982)

Compilations

A Bunch of 45s (1975)
The Legendary Edgar Broughton Band (1984)
Out Demons Out: The Best of the Edgar Broughton Band (1986)
As Was: The Best of the Edgar Broughton Band (1988)
Classic Album and Single Tracks 1969–73 (1992)
The Very Best of the Edgar Broughton Band – Out Demons Out! (2001)
Bandages & Chilly Mornings (2006)
The Harvest Years 1969–1973 (2011). 4-CD boxset.
The Edgar Broughton Band has also appeared on several Harvest Records compilations:

Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air (1970)
The Harvest Bag (1971)
Harvest Sweeties (1971)
Harvest Heritage 20 Greats (1977)
Harvest Festival (1999)

Live albums

Live Hits Harder (1979)
Chilly Morning Mama – Live (1998)
Demons at the Beeb, Live (2000)
Keep Them Freaks a Rollin': Live at Abbey Road 1969 (2004)
Live at Rockpalast 2006 (2008)
Live at The Monarch (2014)

Singles

"Evil" / "Death of an Electric Citizen" (1969)
"Out Demons Out×Out Demons Out3 April 1970 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOut Demons Out4:38BMomma’s Reward (Keep Them Freaks A‐Rollin’)3:05" / "Momma's Reward" (1970) – No. 39 UK
"Up Yours!×Up Yours!June 1970 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAUp Yours!3:01BOfficer Dan1:38" / "Officer Dan" (1970)
"Apache Drop Out×Apache Drop Out20 November 1970 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAApache Drop OutBFreedom" / "Freedom" (1971) – No. 33 UK
"Hotel Room×Hotel Room25 June 1971 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHotel Room4:06BCall Me a Liar4:25" / "Call Me a Liar" (1971)
"Gone Blue×Gone Blue30 April 1972 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAGone Blue3:12B1Someone3:48B2Mr. Crosby2:10" / "Someone" / "Mr. Crosby" (1972)

DVDs

Live at Rockpalast (2006) – performance by the band for German television.