67

Toby Burton and friends Mike Wilson and Gavin Richards had played in bands together, under various names and with other musicians, since studying together at sixth-form college in Godalming, Surrey. Around 1987, as a three piece band, they moved to London to sign-on and pursue the rock ‘n’ roll dream. Around 1990, they settled on the name 67 (the year of their births) and began gigging on the London pub circuit. Following enthusiastic fanzine and music press reviews, 67 caught the attention of Southern Records, whose roster at the time included Therapy? and Babes In Toyland, but were perhaps better known for their distribution of records by American bands like Fugazi and Jesus Lizard. 67 signed to Southern, and their first single ‘Bright Black’ was released in the summer of 1993 to critical acclaim. The band played support slots to many of the US bands affiliated with Southern when they came to the UK, including Shellac (featuring Steve Albini) and Boys Against Girls, and began taking their Transit and music nationwide. They got gig and record reviews in the NME and later that year recorded a live session for Steve Lamacq’s Evening Show on Radio One. Like their blistering debut single, they seemed to be unstoppable. The second single, ‘Gadget’, was released later in 1993 to continued enthusiasm but by this time the tide of grungy, US-style rock was being replaced by the wave of Bowie, Kinks and Beatles inspired Brit Pop. This, combined, with the loss, at Southern, of the press officer that had achieved so much for them, led to their third single, the double A-side ‘Better & Worse/Jeep With A Beat’ receiving little attention. To their disappointment Southern was not prepared to release 67’s debut album at this time. And to make matters worse, personal differences were beginning to take their toll on the band. Despite, the introduction of Stewart George on saxophone and a name change to the self-consciously British, ‘Tea’, the end was nigh. Tea, would last a few months, maybe a year, breaking up melodramatically at a gig at the Laurel Tree pub in Camden some time in 1995. Between 1998-2011 Burton and Wilson continued to perform and record music with their band 'Pocket Rocket'. Since 2017 Burton has been recording under the name 'RockCounsellor'.(@rockcounsellor; @thobyrockcounsellor)