Five Thirty

London, England's Five Thirty arrived on the scene wielding jagged guitars and pounding drums, aiming to disrupt the dance-dominated U.K. music landscape of the late '80s and early '90s. Bassist Tara Milton and guitarist/vocalist Paul Bassett launched the group, which cut its debut single "Catcher in the Rye" in 1985. After initial performances in Oxford and Reading, the band relocated to London, where drummer Phil Hopper joined the lineup. East West offered the trio a recording contract in 1990. Their incendiary live shows and sound reminiscent of the Jam drew enthusiastic notices from critics, yet mainstream audiences showed little interest in their stripped-down rock & roll approach. "Abstain" reached the Top 75, but its follow-up "Air Conditioned Nightmare" attracted attention solely from the British press. The band's debut album Bed arrived in 1991, though its arrival proved untimely; the record might have fared better in later years when '60s-styled English guitar rock shorn of club mixes gained traction. Frustrated by commercial indifference, Five Thirty channeled their discontent into "Hate Male," declaring, "This song ain't exactly what we'd call money but we don't care." The group disbanded in 1992. Hopper pursued acting, Milton formed the Nubiles, and Bassett collaborated with Orange Deluxe.