local
notoriety, chiefly due to the outlandish behavior of the ‘vocalist’,
rather than the actual music that was being played. However, as time
moved on, PARISMAN realised that to achieve what they wanted they
would have to become ruthless.
The
main changes to the line-up included Mike Saville, who had previously
added backing vocals to the sound becoming fully fledged lead singer;
Shaun Halloran, the 'microphone-shy' bass player, starting to sing
outside of the practice room, and James Scholes, a talented drummer,
songwriter and singer replacing 'mad' Mal Eorritt.
Ian Cassidy, an old friend who
had previously tried out with the band on guitar, added Hammond organ
to the mix. Gigs were now becoming more frequent, occurring at least
once every three months. A highlight was a spot at BBC Sound City in
Leeds where the band played a set worthy of headlining.
By late 1999 the band realised
something was still missing. This is where Anthony Lachucik came in, a
friend of the band who had frequently supported PARISMAN in his
previous role as guitarist in 'uber' band Tonik. Anthony was asked to
play additional guitar as well as Synths and the band were beginning
to realise their true potential.
Since early 2000, Parisman have
been adding to their impressive list of achievements. The band were
competition runners up in FutureSound 2000, finishing second out of
over 200 bands. This gave them a slot at the Leeds Carling Festival
over the summer and they played to an impressively packed tent (thanks
to a little help from the British weather!).
The first Parisman EP
'Responsible for Everything' was also released at about the same time,
receiving unanimously good reviews from websites such as
www.leedsmusicscene.co.uk, and all copies quickly sold out. The
Parisman website was launched and is constantly receiving a surprising
number of hits thanks to the hard efforts of 'sixth member' Tony Lees.
Showcases in Leeds and
Manchester became the norm during 2001 with Parisman sharing the stage
with fellow upcoming bands Alfie, Crashland, Nylon Pylon and Indigo
Dub. The summer of the same year saw Parisman win the York Fibber's
Battle of the Bands competition, gaining £1000 for the kitty and a
week in a recording studio. This gave the band the perfect opportunity
to record and release their second EP, 'A Lesson in the Art of
Balance' which saw the band receive a well-deserved 10/10 review.
With the band returning to the
live scene in the summer of 2002, all bodes well for the
self-proclaimed 'best band from Batley, West Yorkshire, ever!'
PARISMAN are Mike Saville
(Guitars and Vocals), Shaun Halloran (Bass and Vocals), James Scholes
(Drums and Vocals), Ian Cassidy (Keyboards) and Anthony Lachucik
(Guitars, Synths and Drum Machine).
