Hull's Musical Heritage - David Whitfield 1 | Page 11

Whitfield’s Footsteps

The Paddingtons were a 5 piece
indie-rock band from Hull that were
active between 2004 and 2008.
The band comprised of Tom Atkin,
Stuee Bevan, Josh Hubbard, and
brothers Lloyd and Grant Dobbs,
they toured across the UK, and
supported Babyshambles on their
tour in 2005.

Roland Gift

Roland Gift, originally from
Birmingham, moved to Hull aged
11, where he studied at Kelvin Hall
School, before moving to The Hull
School of Art, whilst there he was a
member of ska band, Akrylykz, as
the saxophonist. After unsuccessful
chart releases, Gift was approached
by two members of “The Beat”, who
Akrylykz had supported on tour.
Andy Cox and David Steele spoke
to Gift, asking him to join a new
band, Fine Young Cannibals, as the
lead singer.
Between 1985 and 1997, the band
released 14 singles, 5 of which
reached the top 10 in the UK
singles chart. The most successful
of these was “She Drives Me Crazy”,
which reached number 5 in the UK,
but got to number 1 in Australia,
New Zealand, Canada, and most
importantly, in terms of kudos,
the US, where it topped the Dance
chart, and the prestigious Billboard
Top 100.

They released 6 singles, with the
track “Panic Attack” being the most
successful, reaching Number 25 in
May 2005.
In addition to the single releases,
the band have released 2 studio
albums, First Comes First and No
Mundane Options. Two compilation
albums followed, “Bring Your Own
Poison - The Rhythm Factory
Sessions”, and “Back To The Bus”.
In February 2010, the band
released a 5 track EP, The Lady Boy
Tapes, through Mama Bear Records.

The Paddingtons