1983
Steven Lindsay, a student at Glasgow School of Art, forms The Big Dish. Core members of the band are Lindsay (guitar/vocals), Mark Ryce (guitar, backing vocals), and John Harper (keyboards). Other people playing with the band in this era include David Brownlie (drums), Paul Albertis (bass), John Hendry (drums), and Stuart Hall (saxophone).
The band played one-off gigs around the Glasgow area for the next year or so and came to the attention of Ronnie Gurr, an A&R man for Virgin Records.
1984
Virgin Records funded the recording of a demo, which includes the tracks ‘Prospect Street, ‘Big New Beginning’, ‘Swimmer’, and ‘Everlasting Faith’.
In November, the band signed a recording contract with Virgin. Band members at this time are Lindsay, Ryce, Harper, Albertis, and Hendry.
1985
Paul Albertis and John Hendry leave the band. The recording of the band’s first album commences with producer Paul Hardiman. The core of Lindsay, Ryce, and Harper are
augmented by session players including drummer Andy Duncan. From this first session with Hardiman come several tracks including ‘Big New Beginning and ‘Prospect Street’
‘Big New Beginning’ is released as a single. It fails to chart. The band embarked on a UK tour as support to China Crisis. Lindsay, Ryce, and Harper are joined by Keith Burns (drums) and Raymond Docherty (bass) for the tour Recording resumes with Paul Hardiman again producing. Ryce and Harper are not involved in this session, which sees Lindsay joined in the studio by Raymond Docherty and Andy Duncan. The song ‘Reverend Killer’, later to be used as a B-side, is recorded during this session.
‘Prospect Street’ is released as a single. It reached number 166 on the UK charts Paul Hardiman is replaced as producer by Glyn Johns. Lindsay is the sole band member to play in the first recording session with Johns, which yields the track ‘Another People’s Palace’ Session players featuring in this session include: Paul Wickens (keyboards), Andy Fairweather-Low (bass), Tim Renwick (guitar), and Jodi Linscott (percussion).
1986
Lindsay returns to the studio for two further recording sessions with Glyn Johns Docherty and, later, Burns joins him. Neither Ryce nor Harper are included in these sessions. Wickens and Linscott were also involved during the earlier session.
Recording IS postponed for a time whilst the band – Lindsay, Ryce, and Harper with Burns and Docherty g0 on tour as support to Lloyd Cole and the Commotions.
Ryce and Harper leave the band. Guitarist Brian McFie is recruited as a session player. Steven Lindsay is now the sole permanent member of the band.
Recording of the band’s first album resumes, with Docherty and McFie now contracted as fully-fledged band members. Iain Ritchie replaces Glyn Johns as producer. Ritchie also plays saxophone and keyboards. Graham Broad (drums) and Siobhan Maher (backing vocals) are hired to contribute to the album as session players.
In June, The Big Dish appears on FSD, a BBC Scotland TV program featuring bands playing live. The band’s line-up is Lindsay, Docherty, and McFie, augmented by Allan Dumbreck (keyboards) and Steven Irvine (drums).
The band undertook a UK college tour, joined by Dumbreck, Dave Cantwell (drums and Kirk Richardson (percussion). They also play a doubleheader on the first weekend of August, appearing at the Artists Against Apartheid concert at the Barrowlands in Glasgow and the Hoochie Coochie Club in Edinburgh on the same day, with Dougie Vipond (on loan from Deacon Blue) replacing the unavailable Kirk Richardson on percussion for these two shows.
‘Slide’ is released as the band’s first single from the forthcoming ‘Swimmer album. It reached a peak position of 147 on the UK singles chart.
‘Swimmer’ is released on the 1″ of October. Nine of the thirteen tracks feature Ritchie as producer, with Johns (two tracks), Hardiman, and The Big Dish (one track each) also credited as producers. The album reached number 85 on the Top 100 of the UK Albums chart the following week.
The re-recorded version of ‘Prospect Street’ which appears on ‘Swimmer’ is released as a single. It fails to chart in the UK.
In December, the band went on tour as support to Big Country. Dumbreck and Cantwell once again join the core trio of Lindsay, Docherty, and McFie for this tour.
1987
The band flew to the USA to meet with Warner Bros. executives in New York. Whilst still in the USA, they shoot a video for ‘Slide’, in which Dumbreck and Cantwell also
appear.
Back in the UK, the band played two songs live on the TV show ‘Number 73’.
Also in January, ‘Christina’s World was released as the third single from ‘Swimmer. It peaks at number 84 on the UK singles chart.
‘Slide’ is released as the fourth and final single from ‘Swimmer in April. It reached a high of number 86 on the UK singles chart at the start of May.
The band, with Allan Dumbreck and Dave Cantwell, commenced recording their second album at Castle Sounds Studio, with Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens producing Dumbreck and Cantwell departed during the sessions and Charlie Morgan was brought in on drums. The tracks ‘Wishing Time’ and ‘Where do you Live’ are recorded.
1988
Paul Lampcov comes in as producer for the main recording session for the band’s second album, ‘Creeping Up on Jesus’. The trio of Lindsay, McFie, and Docherty are augmented by session players Blair Cunningham (drums) and Michael Montez (keyboards). Craig Armstrong (keyboards) later takes part in the sessions as does
Gary Barnacle (sax), John Thirkell (flugelhorn) and Peter Thoms (trombone).
‘European Rain’, written by Lindsay for the album after Virgin called for a hit single, was released at the start of August 1988. It made number 78 on the UK singles chart, It was followed on the 22″ of August by the album Creeping on Jesus’, on Lampcov (8 tracks), Wickens (two) and The Big Dish (one) are all named producers. It fails to
make the top 100 of the UK album charts.
The band (with Craig Armstrong and Skip Reid (drums) joining Lindsay, McFie, and Docherty) appears on the BBC ‘Garden Party’ TV program, where they mime to ‘European Rain’. It is this line-up that embarks on a tour in support of the album “Faith Healer’ which is released as the second and final single from ‘Creeping up on Jesus’. It
fails to reach the UK top 100.
1989
Virgin drops The Big Dish.
The band, with Skip Reid but minus Craig Armstrong (who’d just become a father for the first time), play a gig at the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, in November.
1990
The Big Dish, including Skip Reid and Craig Armstrong, signed to East West Records. The band recorded and produced the track ’25 Years’. Raymond Docherty, Skip Reid, and Steve Cheyne, the band’s manager, leave the band before the main recording sessions for the band’s third album take place.
The ‘Satellites’ album is recorded, with Lindsay, McFie, and Armstrong being backed by Session musicians including Pino Palladino (bass), Danny Cummings (percussion), and Jody Linscott (percussion). John Giblin, late of Simple Minds, plays bass on five of the album’s ten tracks. Warne Livesey produces nine of the ten tracks on the
album, ’25 Years’ being the exception.
The Big Dish supported The Pixies at Glasgow Barrowland in October.
1991
Craig Armstrong leaves the band, which is now down to a duo of Lindsay and McFie. ‘Miss America’ was released in January as the first single from ‘Satellites’. It became the band’s sole UK top 40 hit, reaching a high of number 37 in the chart.
‘Satellites’ was released in February, reaching number 43 but spending only two weeks in the top 100 of the UK album chart.
A lightly remixed version of ‘Big Town’ becomes the second single released from ‘Satellites’, It reaches a high of number 94 on the UK singles chart, The band goes on tour in support of ‘Satellites’, Lindsay and McFie joined by Colin Berwick (keyboards) and Tracy Gilbert (bass). Skip Reid returns on drums.
They play the Midsummer at Loch Lomond Music Festival on 22″ June as part of a line-up that includes Runrig and Hothouse Flowers
A remixed version of ’25 Years’ becomes the band’s final single release. It fails to reach the UK top 100.
The band plays Crystal Palace Bowl in London on 4″ August 1991 as part of a multi-band line-up that also includes Level 42 and Squeeze. The Big Dish disbanded shortly afterwards.
1994
Virgin band’s release time on “Rich the Man’s Wardrobe’, a retrospective collection of fifteen tracks from the band’s time on the label. It does not reach the top 100 of the UK album charts. album tracks charts.
2012
The band reforms for the Celtic Connections festival in January and the Darvel Music Festival in May. The lineup for both gigs is: Steven Lindsay (vocals, guitar), Brian
McFie (guitar), Raymond Docherty (bass), Allan Dumbreck (keyboards), and Ross McFarlane (drums).
2014
The Big Dish play their most recent show to date, supporting Del Amitri at the Hydro in Glasgow. The lineup is for the 2012 gigs, with Jim MeDermott replacing Ross McFarlane on drums, The set includes a new song, ‘Cherry Blossom Falls’