Wavis O'Shave

Wavis O'Shave is a surreal English musician and comedian, who regularly appeared on Channel 4's music show, The Tube (1982–1987).

Wavis O'Shave
OriginBritain
GenresComedy rock
Years active1979 to 1987

Description

Wavis O'Shave performed many original comedy characterisations including the cult figure "The Hard", a bizarre character who made brief appearances on The Tube hitting his hand with a hammer and saying "I felt nowt (nothing)!"

O'Shave appears as Foffo Spearjig The Hard on The Tube Anthology - The Best of Series 1 double disc DVD (2006) and in Once Upon a Time in the North, a 2010 documentary about local music in South Tyneside released on DVD by Northeastern Films. He appears as Wavis O'Shave in the 2011 Northeastern Films DVD We Sold our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll. His video for the remake of his earlier song "Mauve Shoes are Awful" was a nominated at the NME Shockwaves Video awards in 2009.

O'Shave appeared in The Strange world of Wavis O'Shave as part of the hour long BBC Radio 1 documentary Viz - The Rock 'n' Roll Years broadcast in 1997, and in April 2010 had his own one-hour-long special An Evening with Wavis and Foffo on London's Resonance FM.[1][2]

O'Shave's last TV appearance was on the Granada Television show, Stars In Their Eyes, performing Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" in 1994.

Recordings

He recorded the cult hit album Anna Ford's Bum (1980), named after the ITN newsreader Anna Ford. The album had a Studio side and a Kitchen side that was recorded in Fatty Rounds mothers kitchen (Fatty AKA 'James the Rounder' played keyboards, tuba and Hammond organ)[3][4][5][6]

Following Anna Ford's Bum, Wavis recorded a second album entitled Texican Raveloni (Falling A Records) under the name Foffo Spearjig, from which came the single "Tie Your Laces Tight" backed with "You Won't Catch Me on the 503". [The 503 was the bus that went from the Market to the Council Estate of Biddick Hall, where Fatty Round lived; Wavis got ripped off for his change by a psychotic bus driver whilst on the way to Fatty's and committed the act to vinyl].

Another of O'Shave's tracks, "Mauve Shoes are Awful", has been included on the Stateside Hyped2death compilation disc Messthetics no 4.[7] The original of 'Mauve Shoes' had Hats Dad (Hat/Fezz - ginger vocalist and human synth), famously threatening to "Chop the Bloody Electricity Off" to stop the racket being made in Hat's house whilst recording the track. Hats Dad claimed to have got the fabled 'Two Stings' whilst trying to pull the fuse out. Hats Dad, (and his fabled 'Two Stings') made it to vinyl. In 2004 he recorded a CD single "Katie Derham's Bum" in adoration of ITN newsreader Katie Derham.[8]

Wavis recorded the "Denis Smokes Tabs" / "John is a Fig Roll" six track EP on Company Records (CR003) in 1979, and a collection of his tracks are on the 2005 compilation Potty, Dotty, Ditties of the Deft and Daft (Nursery Rhymes of the Apocalypse) released in 2005 by Dynamite Vision/Falling A Records (FASA3).

Wavis most recent single was released in 2012, "Sunspots on the Moon (It's Snowin' Outside and It's June)", and is collaborating with fellow ex-South Shields resident Barry Lamb and Peter Ashby, who most recently have made a song together as Fictional Rage featuring Wavis O'Shave, called "Ballad of the Pokeawillies".[9]

In May 2011, O'Shave recorded interviews and songs for four shows for the new SKY TV 201 Channel 'Mindscape TV' to be screened early that summer, also available on the Mindscape TV Channel.

O'Shave wrote his autobiography in May 2013, Felt Nowt! - The Wavis O'Shave Story, detailing his many stories involving celebrities including Prince Charles, Ricky Gervais, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

References
  1. "Wavis O'Shave | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. "Resonance FM archive". Resonancefm.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  3. Gazette, South Tyneside Cheeky Anna song made me famous, 24 November 2003, pp. 12-13
  4. Rock Bottom: The Book of Pop Atrocities by Muck Raker, Proteus Books 1981 pages 11-12
  5. International Discography of the New Wave, Volume 1982/83 (Defoe) Omnibus Press . 297
  6. Indie Hits 1980-1989, compiled by Barry Lazell. Cherry Red Books 1997. p. 167
  7. "Hyped to Death's front door". Web.archive.org. 1 December 2000. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  8. NOW Celebrity magazine 1 September 2004 page 68
  9. "Ballad of the Pokeawillies". YouTube. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
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