Bio

The PEACOCK PAGE www.myspace.com/thepeacockpage is the third incarnation of songwriting duo Pete Shields and Steve ( Villa ) Townsend who started writing together in 1989. They had two previous bands : UNKLE WOT and KING BISCUIT. They formed THE PEACOCK PAGE in 1995 and still perform their vast catalogue of songs today in various guises but always with Pete and villa at the helm. They fuse pop / funk / folk with an alternative twist and are reknowned for their FUNTASTIC live performances. They have many influences and share a love of great songwriters such as : John Martyn, Elvis Costello, Damien Rice, Bob Dylan,Lou Reed and their favourite songsmith of all time - the fantastic MARTIN STEPHENSON ( A great personal friend of the lads ) Pete writes the lyrics and vocal melodies & Villa normally provides the chords and song structures. They like to write from personal experiences - subjects ranging from matters as diverse as alcoholism to oral sex!! The first song up is CURIOSITY written bt Pete and recorded in a live take on an 8track portastudio with a cheap drum machine,David Shields on bass and Damon Downs on guitar The video footage is of a song called The Blue Devils, about alcohol abuse, written in 1990 and played at the Navigation at Newark Notts in 1996. It features Pete and Villa with Martyn Brown on bass, Martin Waugh on lead guitar and the dearly departed Paul Newbury on drums PEACOCKS include - Danny Hughes ( Team Hughes ) - Martin Waugh ( Kristian Leontiou,Sophie Ellis Bextor, Mika ) - David Shields ( Pass The Cat, The Swans, Martin Stephenson, Sophie Ellis Bextor ) - Paul Newbury ( Pass The Cat ) - Damon Downs ( Monski ) - Ryan Holleywell ( Nick McDonald Band )- Nick McDonald ( himself on keys )- Ben Gant ( Session Trumpet player ) - Kevin Brown ( Beautiful South ) - Scott Walters ( Rankin Steady ) - Brad Drury ( Skagz ) - Wayne Proctor ( Session drummer ) - Mark Evans ( Andy Cowling ) - Neil Kellow ( India McKella )- Alan Brett ( India McKella ) ) - Dino James, Mario James, Marlon James ( sons of Jimmy James and The Vagabonds )- Martyn Brown ( Session Bassist ) - Dave Drury ( Ferocious Dog ) - Ian wagstaff ( Ferocious Dog ) - Tommy Waugh ( Session lap steel player - guitarist on such 70's hits as Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes and Yellow River )among others.