Chiefs of Relief were a British rock group led by guitarist-vocalist Matthew Ashman and also featuring drummer Paul Cook (formerly of the Sex Pistols).
The band was formed shortly after the demise of Bow Wow Wow in 1984. It comprised Ashman (who for a brief time tried to continue Bow Wow Wow as their lead singer after the departure of Annabella Lwin for a solo career), Cook, keyboard player Duncan Grieg, and bassist Lance Burman. An early lineup included Ashman and Cook with former Bow Wow Wow members David Barbarossa and Leigh Gorman.Often compared to Big Audio Dynamite (who they would later open for on tour), The Chiefs fused rock with hip hop & electronic elements from the era.
The group's only full-length album was 1988's self-titled release, which was issued in the US by Sire Records. Ashman died in 1995 and on the fifteenth anniversary of his death, the band reunited for a tribute concert for Ashman on 21 November 2010 at the Scala in London, in a show with Adam Ant topping the bill and also featuring later Ashman bands Bow Wow Wow and Agent Provocateur).
Famous quotes containing the words chiefs of, chiefs and/or relief:
“Fashion understands itself; good-breeding and personal superiority of whatever country readily fraternize with those of every other. The chiefs of savage tribes have distinguished themselves in London and Paris, by the purity of their tournure.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
““Hear me,” he said to the white commander. “I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. Our chiefs are dead; the little children are freezing. My people have no blankets, no food. From where the sun stands, I will fight no more forever.””
—For the State of Montana, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Although its growth may seem to have been slow, it is to be remembered that it is not a shrub, or plant, to shoot up in the summer and wither in the frosts. The Red Cross is a part of us—it has come to stay—and like the sturdy oak, its spreading branches shall yet encompass and shelter the relief of the nation.”
—Clara Barton (1821–1912)