Blue Peter Are Army Buddies

11/24/08 4:16pm

by Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

It's remarkable how many Canadian new wave heavyweights are still alive and kicking in 2008. Spoons, Rough Trade, Chalk Circle and Parachute Club have all gigged in the last calendar year, proving that the appetite for vintage Cancon goodness is rather healthy (at least in the Greater Toronto Area).

Paul Humphrey is another survivor of the new wave era, and he fully admits that he never gave much thought to timeliness during the salad days of his Toronto pop/rock outfit, Blue Peter.

A number of the band's most beloved songs ("Don't Walk Past," "Radio Silence") have evolved into retro night staples, and Humphrey is somewhat surprised that Blue Peter's music has endured, especially considering it was truly left of centre when the band first coalesced in the late 1970s.

"Once we started hearing about bands like the Talking Heads and the Ramones, we realized we weren't crazy in wanting to try something different and fresh," Humphrey says. "It was never about a certain style or sound for Blue Peter.

"But even still, just knowing there were other bands experimenting and making it work was really inspiring for us."

Like many bands, Blue Peter cut their teeth on covers early on, first in their Markham, Ont. practice space and then in various Toronto area beer halls and boozecans. They were a bit more rough 'n' tumble than some of their new wave contemporaries, but Blue Peter always had a knack for hatching a solid pop hook, and soon found a regular audience amongst Toronto concertgoers.

"The Turning Point, near Bloor [Street] and Avenue Road, was one of the first rooms in Toronto to really provide us with some stability," says Humphrey. "It was run by an older married couple and, in retrospect, I don't think they knew or cared who played.

"Still, it was a good fit for what we were doing, and by the time other rooms like The Edge and Larry's Hideaway opened up, the band had enough of a reputation that it really broadened the number of venues that would welcome us."

Blue Peter's Test Patterns For Living debut EP was a somewhat organic, guitar-based affair that was best exemplified by working class anthem "Factory Living." Their subsequent albums incorporated more textures and synthesizers into the mix, which gave the band's music a danceable quality without forsaking the songwriting or lyrical content.

Roxy Music and the aforementioned Talking Heads were frequent reference points, and Blue Peter soon found themselves sharing stages with bands like The Jam and The Boomtown Rats. Humphrey concedes that he was "scared shitless" of playing with The Jam, due to the level of admiration he and his bandmates had for the Paul Weller-fronted group.

Perhaps Blue Peter's pinnacle was a gig at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium in the summer of 1983 where they supported The Police and Peter Tosh in the third and final installment of the annual Police Picnic. Things began to unravel shortly thereafter and, by 1985, Blue Peter had thrown in the towel. They were victims of one too many Canadian tours and general exhaustion.

"By the mid-1980s, the band was completely burnt out," Humphrey says. "It's not something you realize at the time because you're young and, in theory, you have tons of energy.

"But the touring and recording schedule had left us all completely drained. Everybody needed a long break, not just from the band, but from one another. It was clearly a mutual decision all around."

It wasn't until earlier this decade that Blue Peter staged a reunion, in part to celebrate a new compilation from pioneering Canadian indie label Ready Records. The reception to the band's performance was exceedingly positive and Blue Peter have played a spat of shows since, including a lively affair alongside fellow new wavers Spoons last winter.

That said, Blue Peter's next appearance may be their last for a while, and Humphrey is non-committal about the future of the band (if they even have one). It's purely a labour of love at this point, and Humphrey is simply enjoying his ability to live in the now, even if it took close to 30 years to reach this point.

"This isn't a hard stop, but we don't have any immediate plans for other shows," he explains. "In a way, it's a good position to be in.

"We can play when asked or when we want to. There is a built-in audience and repertoire, and there isn't the pressure of trying to make a career out of it anymore.

"I'm just amazed that we still have five original members that are still interested and able to play. That alone is pretty miraculous, and every time we get back together to practice, it's like reconnecting with old army buddies. You have that shared experience of being in the trenches together."

Blue Peter play Toronto's Tattoo Rock Parlour on Thursday with Slave To The Squarewave, Emm Gryner and Geoff McOuat.