Connections: N is for ...

Yves n'Djock (3) Connecting from 1988 to 1989. Guitar.

Yves is one of the main guitarists in Salif Keita's band and has since played with Angelique Kidjo (Logozo), Okinawan master Shoukichi Kina, Jean-Luc Ponty (Tchokola) and most recently the French based singer Monique Seka. The link to Kirsty dates from 1988 when Yves played with Talking Heads in Paris on the sessions for the Naked album, an album which Kirsty contributed backing vocals to and which was of course produced by Steve Lillywhite. A year later he was involved in some tracks for Kite: Innocence, La Fôret de Mimosas and Complainte pour Ste. Catherine;. He is credited with vocals ("Alright") on Complainte

Mark Nevin (16+) Connecting from 1991 to 1994. Guitar, songwriter.

Mark Co-author of Halloween, My Affair, You know it's you, Soho Square, Last day of summer, Titanic Days, Big boy on a Saturday night, Tomorrow never comes, Don't go home, Irish cousin, Count on me, Dear John. Guitar on Halloween, Lying down, The hardest word, Maybe it's imaginary, The one and only, on the BBC sessions album (What do pretty girls do?) and throughout Titanic Days. Bass on Tomorrow never comes. Harmonium on Tomorrow never comes. Production of Tomorrow never comes with Kirsty. Played in the 1991 touring band. Produced as Baboon Farm with Kirsty.

Though a brief spell in the band of a resurgent Sandie Shaw in 1986 gave Nevin a taste of fame, his big-time break was to come after meeting Glaswegian singer Eddi Reader who had come to London to join Eurythmics as a backing singer for a tour. Mark was with Jane Aire's band at the time and Eddi was called upon in an emergency. 'I was in a band that needed a backing singer urgently after a bunch of bouncers had attacked us in a pub in Tooting with baseball bats,' he recalls. 'The regular singers refused to do the show the next night. I knew someone who knew Eddi and I called her to come and do BV's on the next gig in another grotty pub, this time in Leytonstone. She came along and was brilliant, better than the lead singer by far. We kept in touch and started playing in pubs and 'alternative cabaret' places, as they were called then. We used to do a night at a place called the Parrot Cafe in a pub in New Cross. Eddi and me were the music and Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer were the comedians. I knew Simon Edwards from Bristol and he had just bought this strange bass, the guitaron, it sounded so warm and sad and suited what we were doing perfectly. He knew Roy Dodds who played the drums with such a minimal and musical touch, when we put it all together it felt so easy and right.' Excerpt from http://www.birdpages.co.uk/magazine/makinghismark.htm.

He is credited on Tracey Ullman's album You caught me out alongside Judd Lander, Simon Edwards, Gavin Povey and of course Kirsty herself. Many other links are shown on the Fairground Attraction Members' Discography - detailing the likes of Mary Coughlan, Morrissey, Carleen Anderson and Lloyd Cole.

Performed Soho Square and Fairytale of New York in the live tribute concert.

Randy Newman (1) Connecting in 1999. Songwriter.

Author of Sail away, recorded for the film soundtrack to Beautiful People in a throwaway moment.

Steve Nieve (4) Connecting in 1994. Keyboards.

Steve Keyboards on You know it's you, Soho Square, Titanic Days, Big boy on a Saturday night. Steve was of course one third of the mighty Elvis Costello & the Attractions along with Pete Thomas. He has also worked with Madness, Nick Lowe, Black Velvet Band and Duncan Dhu. I'm sure he was another of those who appeared in the Jonathan Ross house band on TV.

Kevin Nixon: Manager.

Kevin was Kirsty's manager from 1996 (under Hit & Run Music) until her death, having set up his own Major Minor Management group in 1999. He is a veteran of 30 years in the business as producer (Alex Harvey, UK Subs), manager (Kula Shaker) and A&R director at V2 Records. It was Nixon who persuaded V2 Records to sign Kirsty, and release the Tropical Brainstorm album. These days, he is a director of the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) for aspiring musicians.

Connections: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W

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