User:Gerbil69/sandbox

= Funboy Five =

Not to be confused with Fun Boy Three

Formed in January 1979, the Funboy Five were an English post-punk band from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire and originally had four members, Mick Sinclair (guitar and vocals), John McRae (Keyboards), Bob Brimson (bass) and Robert Radhall (drums).

While gigging sporadically in London and south-east England, the band recorded a three-track demo which earned them a review in Sounds and a session for the John Peel Show. First broadcast in October 1979, the session was followed in January 1980 by a single, "Life After Death"/"Compulsive Eater", which also saw the debut of the new rhythm section of Dave Tyler (bass) and Paul Ingram (drums), released on the band's own Cool-Cat-Daddy-O record label. Also released on the label in 1980 was a 7-track cassette Funboy Five Shall Inherit The Earth, which included demos and other material.

Although the band ceased recording and playing live in 1981, the single became a sought-after rarity among collectors of DIY vinyl and was listed in journalist Johan Kugelberg’s 100 best records of the post-punk DIY-era, first published in Ugly Things magazine. During the 1990s and 2000s, "Life After Death" featured on two unofficial vinyl compilations, Teenage Treats Vol.10 and Killed By Death #007.

During 2001, the band gathered their recorded material together for a 13-track CD, ''Very Hush! Hush!'', shared with Milkshake Melon, Mick Sinclair’s solo alter-ego. In 2007, the band were represented by two tracks on Messthetics #101: DIY 77-81 London, a CD retrospective with "Compulsive Eater" on the main release and "Haircut Bob Dylan 66" as a mp3 bonus track.

In 2009, "Life After Death" was included on Universal’s four-CD tribute to John Peel, Kats Karavan: The History of John Peel On The Radio.

A cover version of "Life After Death", by Tayla Cooper, appeared as a digital download in 2011.