Q Magazine – Where Are They Now?

Q Magazine – Issue 50 – July 2000 featured Pigbag in the “Where Are They Now?” section. The article text and a scan with picture are here.

James Johnstone

  • Instinct (with Simon Underwood, Angela Jaeger)
  • Rainy Season
  • Drumfish (with Simon Underwood) (released Papa 90, acid version of “Papa’s…”)
  • Frantic Language (released two singles in 1998)
  • Infinite Wheel – techno & web design with Mark Smith
  • ATOMM – electronic dance music

Simon Underwood

  • Instinct (with James Johnstone, Angela Jaeger), 1985
  • Drumfish (with James Johnstone), 1990
  • Hustlers HC, manager
  • Advisor on New Asian Music at Vienna Festival, similar for Africa festival in London 1995
  • Web site design at USURP
  • Released circuit-bending/ambient noise album named “Momentary Masters Of A Fraction Of A Dot” with Jonas Gustafsson in 2018.

Ollie Moore

  • Float Up CP, “Kill Me In The Morning” sax, 1985
  • See work with Brian Nevill below.
  • Red Snapper, sax and melodica on “Prince Blimey”, 1996
  • Monk & Canatella – sax on “Slagger”
  • Working on own music and soundtracks
  • Part of the reformed Pigbag (2010-2014)
  • Released an album “Hexit” by Hexit on Bandcamp in 2018. This is no longer available.
  • Performs/records as “Brace” with his son. See Soundcloud page

Angela Jaeger

  • Instinct (with James Johnstone, Simon Underwood), 1985
  • Moved to Barcelona and worked with a variety of musicians
  • Moved back to New York in late ’90’s
  • Angela Jaeger & David Cunningham – “Artificial Homeland” album, 1998
  • Contributed vocals to The Vanity Set‘s 2003 album “Little Stabs of Happiness“

Roger Freeman

  • Doctor Calculus (with Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy)
  • Drinksville (with Chris Hamlin & David Jary)

    The band played only 4 gigs and only a cassette of a rehearsal with “Chip” Carpenter is thought to exist.

  • Went to Italy for a while

Chris Lee

  • The Pogues (trumpet on “If I Should Fall From Grace With God”, in particular the track “Fiesta”)
  • Worked with Kirsty MacColl
  • See work with Brian Nevill below.
  • Was playing with his own band – under the bridge nr the NFT, nr Waterloo Bridge, London in August 1999.
  • Also played with Sheik Thompson’s Cue Ensemble – last album release “The Colour of the Light” – in all good jazz shops.
  • Cue had a residency at the World’s End Pub, Stroud Green Road, near Finsbury Park Tube, London, up until June 1999.
  • Variety of bands including Montoya Sound, The Jam Professors, Sweet Thunder and Sidewinder.
  • Part of the reformed Pigbag

Oscar Verden

Was running streetwear clothing label, MAP-London which also had a studio. MAP was subsequently bought by Hot Tuna and he became European Creative Director of Hot Tuna in 2005. He is recording again.

Andrew “Chip” Carpenter

  • Went to London College of Furniture.
  • Various bands – Red Dirt, Lost in Austin and John Wayne Army.

Chris Hamlin

Drinksville (with Roger Freeman and David Jary – see above)

Brian Nevill

Brian has provided extensive information about his activities since Pigbag:-

“From Sept 83 till March 84 I was involved with a Brussels/London project called Noise Abroad.
The members were Dave Allen from Gang Of Four & Shriekback (I was a founder member of Shriekback before joining Pigbag), Luc Van Acker, Ian Caple & me. We made 1 single for EMI Benelux.

From March till May 84 I did live gigs with Virginia Astley, with one odd one later in August.
In June I joined Luc Van Acker’s new band in Belgium, and stayed with them until Dec 84. I did a few bits on his EMI solo album, recorded before the band was formed. After leaving Luc I continued to live in Brussels until May 1985, during which time I did gigs and rehearsals with the likes of Tuxedo Moon, Anna Domino and a newly formed Via Con Dias. I also got seriously into photography

When I got back to London I spent a lot of time demo-ing and rehearsing with various people from June 85 till approx. July 86, including a little project with Chris Lee, that lasted a couple of
rehearsals and then I don’t know what!

From July 86 till July 87 I was involved with commercial photography and left music alone completely. On August 7 there was a one-off jazz gig that I organised for a friend of mine at The Crucial Art Gallery, Ladbroke Grove (no longer there). The band included Ollie Moore and Chris Lee.

In March 1988 I started working for Ace Records, the first “proper” job I’d had for many years! In April I started doing low-key blues and R&B gigs. That same month I first rehearsed with my
next group, which was to become known as Shout Sister Shout! (This time the ! mark was part of the group name!). On July 10 we did our first gig at the 100 Club, Oxford Street. On Sep.26 we did a gig at The Station Tavern, W10, at which Chris Lee sat in, although he was never going to be part of that
group. We ended up in a residency at that venue.

In 1989/90 I continued with Shout Sister Shout!, and a certain Boz Boorer was occasionally involved (as a dep musician and also as a producer of some demos), who would figure largely in my future in music. I also did some TV soundtrack music with Chris Reeves, an old mate from a previous group among other things, who also had had a single on Y Records.

1991 I first worked with Texan Rock ‘n’ Roll singer Ronnie Dawson, the first of many R&R and blues people I would back up. Also that year I started to work occasionally with Big Joe Louis & His Blues Kings, who I would eventually end up joining fulltime. And there was some more soundtrack work
with Chris Reeves. Shout Sister Shout! broke up.

In 1992 I became a member of the above mentioned Blues Kings and stayed till January 1998, the longest time I’ve ever been in a group. We made an album for Ace, who I was no longer working for. During my tenure with them I also worked with Ronnie Dawson, Duffy Power, Ray Sharpe, Joe Clay, Sonny Burgess, Boz Boorer, Carl Sonny Leyland, The Neanderthals, The Planet Rockers, Holly
Golightly and Sonny George. On the blues side there was Big Daddy Pattman, Big Boy Henry, Big Jack Johnson, Big Bad Smitty, Big Lucky Carter, Big Clara McDaniel (DO YOU SEE A PATTERN EMERGING HERE?!!), The Deluxe Blues Band with Dick Heckstall-Smith, Booba Barnes, R.L. Burnside, Eddie Burks, Lazy Lester, Jimmy Thomas, Benny Smith, The Rev. Charlie Jackson, and The Eldoradoes.

In 1998 I moved to Los Angeles, and helped get together a band called The Ecco-fonics with Deke Dickerson. We toured and recorded (for Hightone). I also did some session work, for Big Sandy that included working with Dewey Terry of Don & Dewey. Also there was work with Sammy Masters, Glen Glenn, The Collins Kids and Ray Campi. Rockabilly legends all.

Coming back to London at the beginning of 1999, I’ve been depping with various people since then. Nothing permanent. I’ve done gigs with the likes of Scotty Moore, Billy Lee Riley, Rocky (son of Johnny) Burnette, Paul Burlison (guitarist of the J. Burnette Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio), and Mac Curtis in the rockabilly field. And in the blues field I’ve worked with Chicago Bob Nelson. I’m currently playing quite regularly with a chap called Darrel Higham, and still doing some gigs again with Big Joe Louis.

Since 1999 I’ve also done quite a lot of compiling and sleeve notes for BMG (which came to an end last year unfortunately), and more recently Ace. During the BMG couple of years I did no less than 10 Elvis Presley CDs, a rockabilly comp, and a Chet Atkins CD. I was in the middle of researching some cool stuff there before it all came to an end (long story). With Ace I’ve done 1 rockabilly comp, and am sitting on a clutch of projects that are frustratingly waiting for legal clearance.”

Brian has written an autobiographical book, “Boom Baby“, which covers his life through the 1960’s. Well worth a read!