Accordions Go Crazy

Accordions Go Crazy formed in 1985 after Mike Adcock organized an event for accordion players at the London Musicians' Collective, (normally a home for free improvisers). Accordions Go Crazy included musicians then playing with Kahondo Style, the English Gamelan Orchestra or British Summer Time Ends, as well as other British performance groups. All played accordion (but not exclusively), with the music being a mix of : reggae, Irish, waltzes, polka, cajun and zydeco. The band eventually settled as a six-piece, with Mike Adcock, Clive Bell (who suggested the name), Sylvia Hallet, Nicola Hadley, Dean Brodrick and Stuart Jones. In 1989 Nicola Hadley was replaced by drummer Ann Day, In 1991 Stuart Jones was replaced Ruth Bitelli on bass guitar. Gradually members got more involved in other projects, and Accordions Go Crazy last played on a short tour of Italy in 1991, with Dan Brown replacing Ruth Bitelli on bass. They released a total of 3 LPs on the German Trikont label between 1988 and 1991.