NOVEMBER l979........Chris Philpott and Mick Cohen decided to form a band, playing the music that they enjoyed rather than just what other people wanted to hear. So they advertised for a drummer and a guitarist.
John Wratten, who had been playing the guitar for several years but had never actually played in a band, saw the advertisement in a local music shop window, and went for an audition. He was accepted into the band immediately.
They had yet to find a drummer. A friend of Mick’s drummed for them temporarily, but unfortunately he had to return to university. So the band was left drummer less once again. This didn’t dampen their enthusiasm and they carried on practicing, playing old Jam and Joe Jackson covers, and gradually building up a repertoire of original songs that John & Chris were working on.
After an article in the local paper in October 1980, Andy Orr phoned, and later joined the band as a drummer. They were then called The Last Resort but later changed their name to The Moments when they heard there was an Oi! band already called ‘The Last Resort’.
They played their first ever gig at the Ford Social club in Dagenham one Sunday lunchtime to an audience of about ten local Mods and about 100 grannies. The Mods loved them, but the grannies complained and the sound was turned down.
They changed their name once more, this time to the ‘Minits’ and played their second gig at a pub in East Ham. This gig was far more successful than the first one, and they managed to pull quite a large crowd. They realized that they were beginning to establish a firm following.
They changed their name yet again, this time to ‘Small World’. They began gigging regularly in and around the London area to an ever increasing following, including two local scooter clubs The Thunderbird Cruisers and The Essex Cougars. Small World gigs had become quite an event.
Then with regular fanzine coverage and a little help from Purple Hearts bassist Jeff Shadbolt, they began gigging more frequently outside London. Sometimes supporting The Purple Hearts and sometimes headlining their own gigs. People were showing interest in them as far afield as Scotland, Ireland and even Holland. They gigged with Long Tall Shorty after the infamous Tony Perfect done a guest appearance with them at one of their earlier gigs at the Seabright Arms in Hackney.
The band recorded two demo tapes in 1981 and received such good response, that they started an Information Service, run by John’s sister Jacquie which had a membership of over 600. In early 1982 they recorded their first single Love is Dead b/w Liberty on Whaam records.......... The single quickly sold out and is now quite collectable.
This turned out to be a bad deal, as far as the band was concerned as they had no control over the record. The band carried on gigging...then came the arrival of Soul clubs, resulting in a general lack of interest in live music within the Mod movement. This caused of a problem of trying to get people to come and see the band, especially in London. Outside London they were still in great demand...., and still are.
In December 1982, Andy Orr left the band, and was replaced by Paul Guidotti, formerly of The Stripes.
The band were influenced by 1960s guitar based groups like the Small Faces and post-punk new wave such as The Jam and The Clash. Although the band attracted a diverse audience, they soon became a firm favourite on the Mod scene playing numerous headline gigs all over London and the UK, including venues such as the Marquee, Dingwalls, 100 Club, Fulham Greyhound.
The band continued gigging throughout 1983 and 1984, releasing one further single “First Impressions” on Valid records. In October 1984, after a “farewell” gig at Islington’s Hope & Anchor, Small World were “put on ice”. This allowed the lads to pursue other musical projects which included The Combine and The Rage.
In 1987, Small World reformed to play at the Assembly Room in Rotherham. The gig was a sell-out and subsequently the boys have continued to gig, on and off, ever since.
Small World were different from many of their peers on the Mod scene. Whereas some bands simply disappeared from the Mod scene due to its lack of “street cred” and money-making opportunities, Small World stuck with it. After all, the band were from the scene, from the grassroots, and not manufactured or shaped by some record company executive who wanted to cash-in on this year’s fad. Small World were proud to be part of the Mod scene!
Anyone who has ever seen Small World perform live will have appreciated how much effort and energy the lads put into their performance. Their sound is definitely more raunchy than “jingle-jangle”, but the songs are melodic and extremely catchy! One “Sounds” journalist once compared Small World’s rendition of “Tin Soldiers” to the original version by Stiff Little Fingers, quoting that the Small World version made the original “shrivel up and die”. Not bad considering that SLF’s power always made the hair on the back of my neck stand up!
Small World - Who’s Who
1979 -1982
Chris Philpott – Vocals
John Wratten – Guitar
Mick Cohen – Bass
Andy Orr – Drums
1983 – present date
Chris Philpott – Vocals
John Wratten – Guitar
Mick Cohen – Bass
Paul Guidotti – Drums