60 Ft Dolls

The Welsh band 60 Ft. Dolls smacked themselves into the mid-'90s post-grunge surge and enjoyed moderate success in the U.K. They never fully got off the ground enough to mold something more defining. Hailing from the working-class suburb of Newport, Wales, <a href="spotify:artist:258uHZxMMN8uKtVV4VtlSm">Richard Parfitt</a> (vocals/guitar) and Mike Cole (bass) met on the dole, striking up a friendship over music. Both shared an interest in <a href="spotify:artist:67ea9eGLXYMsO2eYQRui3w">the Who</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3RGLhK1IP9jnYFH4BRFJBS">the Clash</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:66U6cJ3kDBat0jS42Jkp9q">the Jam</a>, as well as a fondness for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a>, so the two opted to work together. They were still shaky after six months of playing, but with the addition of drummer Carl Bevan in 1993, 60 Ft. Dolls was complete. Bevan, the son of Rockin' Reverend Ray Bevan, was a jazz and soul enthusiast and cited <a href="spotify:artist:6NAJM9Zc8wUQbKCzxpt6kM">John Bonham</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7i9m03TFsX9pDuP4CFDw3o">Keith Moon</a> as influences. His style was a perfect base to the punk-influenced trio, and together they built a rowdy following around Wales. "Happy Shopper" marked their debut single in 1994, and follow-ups such as "Pig Valentine" and "Stay" put them into the press. A year later, the 60 Ft. Dolls found themselves opening for <a href="spotify:artist:2QwJQuBekTA4qF7N7uLHDP">Veruca Salt</a> on the New Musical Express Brat Bus tour, and a deal with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22DGC%22">DGC</a> soon followed. The Big 3 was their proper studio full-length, issued on the U.K. label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Indolent%22">Indolent</a> in 1996 and on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22DGC%22">DGC</a> in the U.S. in 1997. Festival gigs across Europe consumed the 60 Ft. Dolls for the remainder of the year, along with small shows in North America. A second album, Joya Magica, was released in 1998 shortly before the 60 Ft. Dolls were dropped by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Indolent%22">Indolent</a>. A year later, the band split. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi