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The definitive guide to the West Country music

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IC and the Jokers

"a French Pete Atkin tribute band"

biography | discography | gigs | gallery | links | acknowledgments

Who Are IC and the Jokers?

IC & The Jokers - formerly known as Les Beaux Changeurs - are based in Paris, France and are a sister band to The Beautiful Changers. The band is a French tribute band to Pete Atkin, taking its name from the Pete Atkin & Clive James song I See The Joker. The band consists of the following members:

  • Ian Chippett (the eponymous IC) - guitar, bass, retired vocalist
  • Tom Landon - keyboards, vocals
  • Alain Dennilauler - guitar, bass
  • Evelyne Dennilauler - drums
  • Oliver Ash - drums

When the Beautiful Changers were forming, they realised that they needed a drummer and Oliver Ash, Paris-based property developer, cricketer and Guinness drinker offered his services. Unlike the other Changers, Oliver had actually had some real musical experience and admits to having been pursued by deranged teenies. As it would have been difficult for him to get to rehearsals in the old country, Ian Chippett offered to put him in touch with a musical pal of his Tom Landon who had his own band and a decent studio where they could put Olly through his paces. When Oliver was later heartlessly ejected from the Changers like a latterday Pete Best [It's a lie, I tell 'ee! - Ed.], the band kept going, adopting their present name in an attempt to prevent confusion with their British counterparts.

Some photos of members of IC & The Jokers - click on the pictures to see a bigger version
All photos copyright © Golden Haze Productions
On behalf of the owners of the copyright

Alain on guitar
Alain Dennilauler

in action on the Gibson SG (unless I'm mistaken)

Evelyne Dennilauler

ready to give the skins a good thumpin'!
Evelyne on drums
Ian et Olly suivent la piste
Ian and Olly get in some practice - well, drinking practice, anyhow!

(L-R) visiting Beautiful Changers member Paul Gunningham; Ian Chippett and Oliver Ash
At Ian and Olly's local Adnams pub before the Pete Atkin gig in Paris, September 1999 (photo by Frankie)

Francis Cairns

on guitar - with some kids and curtains!
Francis Cairns
Evelyne on guitar
Evelyne again!

well, why not?

Tom Landon

plays the keyboards and sings while an admiring fan looks on
Tom Landon

IC & The Jokers' Discography

They were kindly permitted to have a track (I See The Joker) included on the Beautiful Changers first album For Pete's Sake! which is considered by many (oh all right) by them to be the standout track. Another track, a drunken late-night reworking of The Hypertension Kid can be heard on the Web but fortunately no-one can remember the URL. They are currently at work on a top secret recording project (working title The Abasement Tapes) which may see the light of day some time in the new millennium or the one after that. Four tracks have been laid down (as we musos say) so far.
[Zider Ed's note: I understand from the band that, like a good French wine, their tracks benefit by being laid down for a long time before being enjoyed].

Have they ever played live?

Their first gig was on December 10 1999 at the Ecole Maternelle Danton in Montreuil, a suburb just outside Paris. In fact, it was IC and a Joker who performed as the others were unavailable. IC played acoustic guitar and Tom Landon sang on My Egoist as well as a number of original songs. As an encore Tom played one of his compositions called Les Champignons [Not to be confused by the well-known French rock anthem Nous Sommes Les Champignons - Ed.] and accompanied himself on keyboards while IC attended to a bleeding finger caused by a too-violent assault on the strings on their closing song. They immediately followed up this gig with a session later in the evening in Tom's local bar whither many of the audience had wisely fled.

Listen to IC & The Jokers

Now you can hear for yourselves what IC & The Jokers sound like! All sounds will require an mp3 player (such as WinAmp) to play them.

I See The Joker
378KB, 48sec
Vocal: Ian Chippett
(From the Beautiful Changers
album "For Pete's Sake!")
The Hypertension Kid
293KB, 37sec
Vocal: Ian Chippett
("Vindaloo" version)
The Hollow & the Fluted Night
288KB, 37sec
Vocal: Tom Landon
("Ian Chippett" version)

IC & The Jokers Links



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