Biography
Manic Leisure were based In Solihull and were contemporaries of Swell Maps and Spizz .
The band formed in 1979 from scratch. No-one new how to play or sing. They just did it just to see if they could.
The line-up was Jon Bagley, guitar and vocals; Paul Lamb, lead guitar; Neil Dixon-Payne, keyboards and vocals; Chris Mody, bass, and Nigel Bagley on drums.
They couldnt play so covers were out and so had to find ther own sound. Influences were The Fall, Joy Division and anyone else a bit different. . MK listened to alll sorts of music at the time with reggae and Pere Ubu among their faves.
Having rehearsed in church halls and above an off-license in Dorridge, the band had enough "songs" to gig around, Solihull, Birmingham and Coventry. The highlight was supporting Magazine at Digbeth Civic Hall (now the Institute) in May 1980, alongside Bauhaus, who tuned their guitars for the band. Probably for the first time!
The band recorded a session in Tamworth and an EP - Cold Wardrobe - in Leamington Spa. The band split in 1981. The final gig was at North East London Poly in Stratford.
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