Village

Formed in August 1968, Village was led by organist/vocalist Pete Bardens (b. Peter Bardens, 19 June 1945, Westminster, London, England, d. 22 January 2002, Malibu, California, USA), formerly of Them and the Shotgun Express. Bruce Thomas (b. 14 August 1948, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, England; bass) and Bill Porter (drums) completed the band's line-up and having refused the opportunity to back Tim Rose, launched their career on the short-lived Head label with "Man In The Moon"/"Long Time Coming". Described by Bardens as "progressive pop", the trio's ascribed vow of recording purely self-penned material proved premature as they split up within months of the single's release. Bardens then pursued a solo career before founding Camel, while Thomas resurfaced in Quiver and, later, the Attractions who were formed as the backing group to Elvis Costello.