The Chesterfields

by Jason Ankeny Indie pop combo the Chesterf!elds formed in Yeovil, England, in mid-1984, originally comprised of singer/guitarist David Goldsworthy, bassist Simon Barber, and drummer Dominic Manns. Second guitarist Brendan Holden signed on a year later, embellishing the upbeat, frothy melodies that earned the Chesterf!elds a spot on the front lines of the short-lived movement of shambling guitar pop bands dubbed C-86 in honor of the New Musical Express cassette that popularized the sound in question. The C-86 affiliation was further solidified when they signed to Subway Organization, the label owned and operated by the Flatmates Martin Whitehead and home to acts including the Razorcuts and the Shop Assistants, joining the latter for late 1985s The Legendary Subway Golden Flexi, to which the Chesterf!elds contributed their recorded debut, Nose Out of Joint. The EP A Guitar in Your Bath followed in early 1986, and later that year the group resurfaced with the fan favorite Completely and Utterly. Released in 1987, Ask Johnny Dee boasted a more refined sound, and with their debut LP, Kettle, the Chesterf!elds reached their creative zenith, combining the energy and abandon of their early singles with an increasingly mature approach to songwriting. Holden left the lineup in April 1987, resulting in a revolving door of guitarists including future Blue Aeroplane Rodney Allen and former Loft member Andy Strickland before Barbers brother Mark assumed the role full-time; the singles compilation Westward Ho! closed out the year, and in 1988 the Chesterf!elds left Subway to found their own label, Household. The single Blame was their inaugural release on the imprint, followed by their second studio LP, Crocodile Tears. Neither effort earned the same critical praise as earlier records, however, and both Goldsworthy and Manns announced their resignations from the group, with the former later turning up in Furnt. The Barber brothers soldiered on for one more Chesterf!elds single, Fool Is a Man, before dissolving the group in mid-1989. Simon Barber later fronted Basinger, while Mark helmed Grape — neither group earned the raves or the fame afforded their previous work, however. Goldsworthy reunited with the Barbers to record a new Chesterf!elds single, Down by the Wishing Pool, in 1994, adding drummer Richard Chant for the sessions; a full-length LP, Flood, appeared on the Vinyl Japan label that same year. The group then again dissolved, this time for good. Goldsworthy was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Oxford on November 19, 2003.