{{Short description|British rock band}} {{for|the power station|Blyth Power Station}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Use British English|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Blyth Power | image = | caption = Live in concert | image_size = 255 | landscape = yes | alias = | origin = Somerset, England | genre = Folk punk<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/leisure/music/14155322.cult-folk-punks-blyth-power-play-in-support-of-rail-renationalisation-under-brighton-station/|title=Cult folk-punks Blyth Power play in support of rail renationalisation under Brighton Station|first=Duncan|last=Hall|date=18 December 2015|accessdate=29 May 2020|work=The Argus|location=Brighton}}</ref> | years_active = 1983&ndash;present | label = All the Madmen<br/>Midnight Music<br/>Downwarde Spiral<br/>Anagram Records | associated_acts = Mad Dogs and English Men<br/>Red Wedding<br>Zounds<br>The Mob<br>The Kills | website = | current_members = Joseph Porter<br />Annie Hatcher<br />Dion Lay<br />Ben Bailey<br />Hugo Hatcher | past_members = }} '''Blyth Power''' are a British rock band formed in 1983 by singer and drummer Joseph Porter, formerly of anarcho-punk bands Zounds and the Mob.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|pages=157&ndash;158}}</ref> The band's music shows strong influences from punk rock and folk music and Porter's lyrics often centre on themes from mythology and history.

The band have released more than a dozen studio albums, since 1993 on their own label Downwarde Spiral Records.

==Career== Established in 1983 and named after a railway locomotive,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blyth-power-mn0000053496|title=Blyth Power Biography & History|publisher=AllMusic|first=Craig|last=Harris|accessdate=May 29, 2020}}</ref> the one constant in an ever-shifting lineup has been drummer, vocalist, and songwriter Joseph Porter (real name Gary Hatcher, born 21 February 1962 in Templecombe, Somerset, England), who formed the band with Curtis Youé, another former member of anarcho-punk band The Mob.<ref name=CL>{{cite book | first=Colin|last= Larkin|title=The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave|publisher=Guinness Publishing Ltd |year=1995|isbn=0-85112-657-X|page=58}}</ref> The band have subsequently been through many line-up changes; their 1990 album ''Alnwick and Tyne'' featured Jamie Hince, later of The Kills, on lead guitar.

The band's first release was a cassette, ''A Little Touch of Harry in the Night'', in 1984.<ref name=CL />

Since 1993, Blyth Power recordings have been released on their own label, Downwarde Spiral. Since 2000 they have cut back on their touring schedule due to various personal commitments, but they have organised an annual mini-festival, the Blyth Power Ashes. The festival takes place in August of each year, and combines live music with a cricket match featuring band members and their associates. From 2011 the event moved to The Plough, in Farcet Fen near Peterborough due to its ever-increasing popularity. From 2015 to 2019, The Ashes took place at The Hunters Inn in Longdon, near Tewkesbury.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.blythpower.co.uk/news/index.htm|title=Blyth Power : News Page|website=Blythpower.co.uk|accessdate=17 October 2019}}</ref>

Joseph Porter has also been involved with various side-projects, such as doing solo guitarist/vocalist performances and collaborating in two other bands, Red Wedding and Mad Dogs & Englishmen.

==Musical style== The band's lyrics often deal with episodes from history, ranging from the Trojan War to the Cod Wars, as well as aspects of English culture such as cricket, village life and trains, as well as a lot of politics.<ref name="Larkin"/> Porter is an avowed trainspotter, and in August 1998 the band appeared on the LWT religious affairs television programme ''Holy Smoke!'' in a slot in which musicians discussed their individual religions — with trainspotting cited as his religion.<ref>{{cite episode|title=|season=2 |number=5| network=LWT|airdate=1998-08-17|series=Holy Smoke!}}</ref>

==Members== ===Current members=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of current band members ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em;"| Details |- ! scope="row"| Joseph Porter | * Joined: 1983 * Instrument: Drums, Lead Vocals (sometimes plays acoustic guitar) |- ! scope="row"| Annie Hatcher | * Joined: 1995 * Instrument: Keyboards, Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| Ben Bailey | * Joined: 2014 * Instrument: Bass |- ! scope="row"| Hugo Hatcher | * Joined: 2019 * Instrument: Guitar |- ! scope="row"| Dion Lay | * Joined: 2023 * Instrument: Guitar |}

===Former members=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of former band members ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em;"| Details |- ! scope="row"| Neil Keenan | * Joined: 1983 * Left: 1986 * Instrument: Guitar |- ! scope="row"| Curtis Youe | * Joined: 1983 * Left: 1986 * Instrument: Bass |- ! scope="row"| Andy Morgan | * Joined: 1985 * Left: 1986 * Instrument: Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| Sarah Lewington | * Joined: 1985 * Left: 1986 * Instrument: Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| Martin "Protag" Neish | * Joined: 1987 * Left: 1998 * Instrument: Bass |- ! scope="row"| Steve Ardcorr | * Joined: 1987 * Left: 1988 * Instrument: Guitar |- ! scope="row"| Jamie Hince | * Joined: 1987 * Left: 1990 * Instrument: Guitar |- ! scope="row"| Sian Jeffreys | * Joined: 1987 * Left: 1988 * Instrument: Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| Julie Dalkin | * Joined: 1988 * Left: 1990 * Instrument: Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| Helen Rush | * Joined: 1988 * Left: 1990 * Instrument: Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| Wob Williams | * Joined: 1990 * Left: 1994 * Instrument: Guitar, Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| Darren Tansley | * Joined: 1990 * Left: 1995 * Instrument: Keyboards, Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| John Rutherford | * Joined: 1994 * Left: 1997 * Instrument: Guitar, Harmony Vocals |- ! scope="row"| Chris Hopkins | * Joined: 1997 * Left: 1998 * Instrument: Guitar |- ! scope="row"| Andrew "Jessi" Adams | * Joined: 1998 * Left: 2001 * Instrument: Guitar |- ! scope="row"| Bambi | * Joined: 1998 * Left: 2003 * Instrument: Bass |- ! scope="row"| Gary Miller | * Joined: 2001 * Left: 2001 * Instrument: Guitar |- ! scope="row"| Steven Cooper | * Joined: 2001 * Left: 2014 * Instrument: Guitar |- ! scope="row"| Jerry Hellfire | * Joined: 2002 * Left: 2022 * Instrument: Bass (2002-2014), Guitar (2014-2022) |- ! scope="row"| Jack Ellis | * Joined: 2022 * Left: 2022 * Instrument: Guitar |}

===Timeline=== {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:110 top:10 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1983 till:{{#time:d/m/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1983 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1983

Colors = id:lvocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:bvocs value:pink legend:Harmony_vocals id:studio value:black legend:Studio_albums id:live value:gray(0.6) legend:Live_release_recordings id:bars value:gray(0.95)

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color:studio at:01/01/1984 at:01/01/1987 at:01/01/1988 at:01/01/1990 at:01/01/1991 at:01/01/1992 at:01/01/1993 at:01/01/1995 at:01/01/1996 at:01/01/2000 at:01/01/2002 at:01/01/2006 at:01/01/2009 at:01/01/2014 at:01/01/2023

BarData = bar:Joseph text:"Joseph Porter" bar:Neil text:"Neil Keenan" bar:Steve text:"Steve Ardcorr" bar:Jamie text:"Jamie Hince" bar:Wob text:"Wob Williams" bar:John text:"John Rutherford" bar:Chris text:"Chris Hopkins" bar:Jessi text:"Andrew 'Jessi' Adams" bar:Gary text:"Gary Miller" bar:Steven text:"Steven Cooper" bar:Hugo text:"Hugo Hatcher" bar:Jack text:"Jack Ellis" bar:Curtis text:"Curtis Youe" bar:Protag text:"Martin 'Protag' Neish" bar:Bambi text:"Bambi" bar:Jerry text:"Jerry Hellfire" bar:Ben text:"Ben Bailey" bar:Darren text:"Darren Tansley" bar:Annie text:"Annie Hatcher" bar:Andy text:"Andy Morgan" bar:Sarah text:"Sarah Lewington" bar:Sian text:"Sian Jeffreys" bar:Julie text:"Julie Dalkin" bar:Helen text:"Helen Rush"

PlotData = width:11 color:lvocals bar:Joseph from:start till:end width:3

color:drums bar:Joseph from:start till:end

color:guitar bar:Neil from:start till:01/01/1987 bar:Steve from:01/02/1987 till:01/01/1988 bar:Jamie from:01/02/1987 till:01/01/1990 bar:Wob from:01/02/1990 till:01/01/1994 bar:John from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1997 bar:Chris from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/1998 bar:Jessi from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/2001 bar:Gary from:01/01/2001 till:31/12/2001 bar:Steven from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2014 bar:Jerry from:01/01/2014 till:01/01/2022 bar:Hugo from:01/01/2019 till:end bar:Jack from:01/01/2022 till:end

color:bass bar:Curtis from:start till:01/01/1987 bar:Protag from:01/02/1987 till:01/01/1998 bar:Bambi from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/2003 bar:Jerry from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2014 bar:Ben from:01/01/2014 till:end

color:keys bar:Darren from:01/02/1990 till:01/01/1995 bar:Annie from:01/02/1995 till:end

color:bvocs bar:Annie from:01/02/1995 till:end width:3 bar:Andy from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1987 bar:Sarah from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1987 bar:Sian from:01/02/1987 till:01/01/1988 bar:Julie from:01/02/1988 till:01/01/1990 bar:Helen from:01/02/1988 till:01/01/1990 bar:Wob from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1994 width:3 bar:Darren from:01/02/1990 till:01/01/1995 width:3 bar:John from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1997 width:3 }}

==Discography== ===Albums=== ===Studio albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of studio albums, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:20em;"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions

|- ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| UK Indie<br><ref>{{cite book |last=Lazell |first=Barry |title=Indie Hits 1980-1989 |year= 1997 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |isbn=0-9517206-9-4 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://api.discogs.com/artists/306184|title=Blyth Power|website=Discogs.com|accessdate=17 October 2019}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| ''A Little Touch of Harry in the Night''<ref name=CL /> | * Released: 1984 * Label: 96 Tapes * Formats: | &ndash; |-

! scope="row"| ''Wicked Women, Wicked Men and Wicket Keepers''<ref name=CL /> | * Released: 1987 * Label: All the Madmen Records * Formats: | 6 |- ! scope="row"| ''The Barman and Other Stories''<ref name=CL /> | * Released: 1988 * Label: Midnight Music Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''Alnwick and Tyne''<ref name=CL /> | * Released: 1990 * Label: Midnight Music Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''The Guns of Castle Cary''<ref name=CL /> | * Released: 1991 * Label: Midnight Music Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''Karpov Crosses the Border'' | * Released: Recorded 1992, but unreleased until c.2000 * Label: * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''Pastor Skull''<ref name=CL /> | * Released: 1993 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''Paradise Razed''<ref name=AMD>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blyth-power-mn0000053496/discography|title=Blyth Power Album Discography|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=May 29, 2020}}</ref> | * Released: 1995 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''Out from Under the King''<ref name=AMD /> | * Released: 1996 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''The Bricklayer's Arms''<ref name=AMD /> | * Released: 2000 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''On the Viking Station'' | * Released: 2002 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''Fall of Iron'' | * Released: 2006 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''Land Sea & Sky'' | * Released: 2009 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''Women and Horses and Power and War'' | * Released: 2014 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |- ! scope="row"| ''The Power Behind the Throne'' | * Released: 2023 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: | &ndash; |}

===Live albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of live albums ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em;"| Album details |- ! scope="row"| ''A Rededication of Pastor Skull'' | * Released: 1997 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: |- ! scope="row"| ''Gladly Give to Caesar'' | * Released: 1999 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: |}

===Compilation albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of compilation albums ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em;"| Album details |- ! scope="row"| ''Pont Au-Dessus de la Brue'' | * Released: 1989 * Label: Midnight Music Records * Formats: |- ! scope="row"| ''Ten Years Inside the Horse'' | * Released: 1994 * Label: Anagram Records * Formats: |}

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of singles ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em;"| Album details |- ! scope="row"| "Chevy Chase" | * Released: 1985 * Label: All the Madmen Records * Formats: |- ! scope="row"| "Junction Signal" | * Released: 1986 * Label: All the Madmen Records * Formats: |- ! Scope="row"| "Ixion" | * Released: 1986 * Label: All the Madmen Records * Formats: |- ! scope="row"| "Up from the Country" | * Released: 1988 * Label: Midnight Music * Formats: |- ! scope="row"| "Goodbye to All That" | * Released: 1988 * Label: Midnight Music * Formats: |- ! scope="row"| "Better to Bat" | * Released: 1990 * Label: Midnight Music * Formats: |- ! scope="row"| "A Wild Card to Play" | * Released: 1995 * Label: Downwarde Spiral Records * Formats: |}

===Compilation appearances=== *"Reality Asylum" - cover version of the song by Crass on the compilation album ''You've Heard It All Before'' (1993)

===Related albums=== *''When Death Went to Bed with a Lady'' (1998, Joseph Porter solo album) *''Going Down with Alice'' (2000, album by Mad Dogs and Englishmen, including Joseph Porter) *''Red Wedding'' (2004, acoustic album by Steven Cooper and Joseph Porter)

===Videos=== *''Do the One About the Horse'' (1992) *''Live in Harlow'' (1995)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.blythpower.co.uk/ Blyth Power official site]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blyth Power}} Category:English punk rock groups Category:Anarcho-punk groups Category:Folk punk groups Category:English indie rock groups Category:Musical groups established in 1983 Category:Musical groups from Somerset