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Internet campaign to make Bradford band top of the pops again

8:59am Wednesday 27th January 2010 in


The daughter of Smokie bassist Terry Uttley has launched an internet campaign to get the Bradford band back in the charts.

Holly Faye Uttley has won support from the team behind the Facebook campaign that got Rage Against The Machine to be Christmas Number 1, instead of X Factor winner Joe McElderry.

Holly Faye’s Facebook campaign, called Support Bradford’s Best – Get Smokie Back in the UK Charts, has attracted worldwide interest for the group who had a hit with Living Next Door To Alice.

“I’ve had lovely comments, there’s a lot of affection for Smokie. One lady in Australia says her teenage twins are fans!” said estate agent Holly Faye, 28.

“The aim is to get people talking about Smokie and try and get a mass download to get them into the charts. It’s amazing how popular they are.

"I was talking to dad about a stadium gig they did to 30,000 people, with another 60,000 outside who couldn’t get in.

‘‘Yet whenever I mention that my dad’s in Smokie people look at me blankly until someone mentions Living Next Door to Alice. Bands like Smokie don’t mime or have backing dancers, they weren’t overnight successes on a TV talent show.”

Jon Morter, who set up the Rage Against The Machine campaign, has agreed to support the bid.

Holly Faye said: “I appreciate that Smokie won’t be to everyone’s taste but I’m appalled that they, and other guitar-based bands, don’t have a place in British music when they had a big impact on music history.”

Smokie was founded 40 years ago by Terry, Chris Norman and Alan Silson at St Bede’s School, Heaton. Top Ten hits included If You Think You Know How To Love Me and Oh Carol.

In the early 1980s the band split, but in 1986 were reunited at a fundraising concert for relatives of Bradford fire victims.

Chris Norman was later replaced by Alan Barton of Black Lace, who died in a tour bus crash. The band continued with Mike Craft as frontman and returned to the charts in 1995 with Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown’s version of Living Next Door To Alice.

Smokie have sold more than 30 million records worldwide and are honorary citizens of Seoul after becoming the first Western band to sell a million singles there.

They were the first international band to play Greenland – beating Blur by a day.

Comments(15)

paul64 says...
11:57am Wed 27 Jan 10

Please dont re-release "Back to Bradford" Please, please promise us that.

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DCarbz says...
1:26pm Wed 27 Jan 10

Never mind back in the charts. We want them to do Paphos Stadium out here in Cyprus. If its good enough for Mr Hucknell its good enough for Smokie

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essmbee says...
2:59pm Wed 27 Jan 10

Great band, always touring over here in Ireland, seen them last year in Wexford, my mum used to go out with Chris Norman many many years ago when she was a a teen in Bradford so she told me.

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puddingandpi says...
3:52pm Wed 27 Jan 10

If they were good enough, there wouldn't need to be a campaign, would there?

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Tyke69 says...
4:00pm Wed 27 Jan 10

puddingandpi wrote:
If they were good enough, there wouldn't need to be a campaign, would there?
Agreed, they're just another band jumping on the RATM Facebook bandwagon. If they were doing it for charity to raise money for Haiti or something I might support them.

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jkelly says...
6:12pm Wed 27 Jan 10

Alice, Alice who . . .

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puddingandpi says...
9:33pm Wed 27 Jan 10

There used to be a piece of graffiti on a boarded up shop near me, saying "Where's Alice?". I added "living next door to Smokie".
It amused me for about...that long.

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Sweetiex says...
11:59am Thu 28 Jan 10

Love the positive comments of support!!! You can't fault the girl for supporting her father! Why do people on here always have to be negative or take the p~@s! Good luck to the guys, whatever the future brings and well done for a long serving career in the music business, one that many an artiste/band would be proud of and some can only dream of!

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littleholl says...
1:44pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Hello, Its Holly. I would like to say thank you for the positive comments! They are much appreciated. For those with the negative, thank you for your opinion, however, I did want to clear up the fact that this is not a 'bandwagon' that the band have jumped on, its purely my disbelief at how the charts are turning. Do you all want to be listening to Jedward at number one in the future or have real bands?! My support is for my father, the fans and the music-

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BlueHedgehog says...
1:46pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Tyke69 wrote:
puddingandpi wrote: If they were good enough, there wouldn't need to be a campaign, would there?
Agreed, they're just another band jumping on the RATM Facebook bandwagon. If they were doing it for charity to raise money for Haiti or something I might support them.
Smokie do a huge amount for charity. In fact I'm off to see them in Bradford at the end of February at a Charity do for leukaemia. They turn up and perform for over an hour, these guys are still amazing!!

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DCarbz says...
2:12pm Thu 28 Jan 10

littlehol - as a former Cobbydaler myself, thats another reason to ask dad to bring the lads out here.

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griffithsd7 says...
2:27pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Well done Holly, for raising awareness of a fantastic band who are brilliant ambassadors to the UK and deserve greater recognition in their homeland. Oh and to those people dis-sing Holly's campaign, maybe if you listen to their music first, and got your facts right before you critisise

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griffithsd7 says...
2:28pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Well done Holly, for raising awareness of a fantastic band who are brilliant ambassadors to the UK and deserve greater recognition in their homeland. Oh and to those people dis-sing Holly's campaign, maybe if you listen to their music first, and got your facts right before you critisise

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DCarbz says...
10:16am Sat 30 Jan 10

griffithsd7 wrote:
Well done Holly, for raising awareness of a fantastic band who are brilliant ambassadors to the UK and deserve greater recognition in their homeland. Oh and to those people dis-sing Holly's campaign, maybe if you listen to their music first, and got your facts right before you critisise
People have started to hear their music in Polis alright.

Via my cars wound down windows. Lol

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Roadhouse says...
12:00am Sun 7 Feb 10

Well done Holly for supporting your father and the other band members. This is a local band and they are better received abroad than here in England. We are right behind you. For those of you who have never seen Smokie live in concert, I urge you to go at least once. My 14 year old son thinks they are fantastic. How many of today's bands meet and greet with their fans. These guys do. We have met Smokie a few times after their concert. After all, the bands of today wouldn't be where they are without their fans. Keep up the good work Holly and we are looking forward to seeing the band again in April at Halifax.

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