Jackdaw With Crowbar

Formed in Leamington Spa, England, in 1985, Jackdaw With Crowbar developed around musician Timothy Ellis and vocalist Fergus Durrant, with the project initially taking shape under the name Small Town Thunderers. Ellis had been working on instrumental recordings before bringing Durrant in to add vocals, and the line-up gradually expanded as other musicians and visual artists became involved. By 1986, the group had adopted the name Jackdaw With Crowbar, combining music with film projections and a broader multimedia approach to live performance. 

 
The original line-up included Ellis, Durrant, David Tibbatts and Dan Morrison, while Adam Sindall, Steve Law and Fran Juckes worked on the Super 8 films that accompanied their concerts. Rather than treating visuals as a separate stage decoration, the group incorporated them into the performance, giving their shows a distinctive audiovisual character. The music mixed angular guitar playing, blues influences, punk energy, dub rhythms and unconventional arrangements, with Ellis making use of homemade slide guitars fashioned from found materials. 

 
Their association with the independent label Ron Johnson Records began in 1986, with the band consolidating its line-up and recording activity around this period. The first releases included the 12-inch 'Monarchy, Mayhem And Fishpaste' and 'Sink, Sank, Sunk', followed by the album 'Hot Air' in 1988. They appeared on the 'First After Epiphany' compilation in 1989, adding to a catalogue that sat comfortably within the more experimental and offbeat side of the British independent scene. The group also recorded two sessions for BBC Radio 1's John Peel programme in 1987, on 19 May and 4 October. 

 
Ron Johnson was an important outlet for unconventional British independent music during the 1980s, releasing records by artists who often operated outside the mainstream indie sound. Its collapse brought an end to Jackdaw With Crowbar's initial period with the label, although the group continued touring across Britain and mainland Europe. The line-up expanded for 'Hanging In The Balance', issued through the Italian label HAX Records in the early 1990s, with Tris King, Andy Guthrie, Alan McCulloch, Andy Grimmer, Wilf Plum and Charley 'H' Bembridge among the musicians associated with this phase. 

 
Touring wound down around 1991–1992, and the project subsequently continued in a reduced form, with Ellis and King working under the name Jackdaw. Ellis and Sindall revived the group in 2007, bringing back the combination of music and moving images, although the original Super 8 film equipment was replaced by digital projections. New material followed, including the 'EP200' release in 2010 and the 'Barking' 12-inch EP in 2014. Later performances continued to explore the relationship between experimental music, visual art and theatrical presentation, with the project also known as "Jackdaw With Crowbar: Because You're Worth It".