The Pastels - Live York, England 1994 Full Performance

The Pastels - live at the Duchess of York, Leeds, England, November 12th 1994. taken from TDK E-HG E180 VHS tape, Mono audio, SP. tape archive 1337, digital archive 4080.
The Pastels are an indie rock group from Glasgow formed in 1981. They were a key act of the Scottish and British independent music scenes of the 1980s, and are specifically credited for the development of an independent and confident music scene in Glasgow.
The group formed in 1981 amid the peak of the Postcard Records era of independent music in Glasgow. Brian Taylor, a friend at the time of Postcard's Alan Horne, recruited McRobbie, Hayward, and Simpson for his new band. The band first performed at Bearsden Burgh Hall, booked by McRobbie after he attended a Crass gig at the same venue.

The band released their first single, Songs for Children, on Whaam! Records in 1982, followed by their tape Entertaining Edward that same year on Action Tapes.

The band released a series of singles from 1982–1986, starting with Something Going On and B-side I Wonder Why in 1983. The latter record was later separately released by Rough Trade after McRobbie travelled to see Geoff Travis at the label's office in London, where he insisted that they were "the next big thing out of Scotland." The band then released Million Tears in 1984, I'm Alright With You in 1985, and Truck Train Tractor in 1986, all on other labels after their relationship with Rough Trade declined, and the latter focussed more heavily on their other artists such as "shinier new signings" Scritti Politti and the Smiths.

These releases were published on a variety of labels including Whaam!, Creation, and Glass Records, and all had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time.

Despite their contrarian musical approach, they soon enjoyed an emerging fanzine culture identified with the group's sound and image, and slowly started to influence a new wave of groups, as well as gathering the attention of NME and other UK media. Prior to their breakout album, the band appeared in a John Peel session, as well as a variety of zines. McRobbie at this period undertook a master's degree in librarianship at Glasgow University, which would ensure the band remained rooted in Glasgow during their new found fame.

The Pastels' sound continued to evolve and, although part of NME's C86 compilation, in interviews they always sought to distance themselves from both twee and shambling developments.

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