Nick Tesco

As a founding member and co-songwriter of the Members, Tesco fronted the band from 1976 until his departure and the subsequent split of the band in 1983.^[2] The Members, from Camberley, Surrey, signed with Virgin Records at the tail-end of punk in 1978 and had a No.12 hit with the single "The Sound of the Suburbs". Co-written by Tesco and Jean-Marie Carroll, the single reportedly sold 250,000 copies and went on to become a staple of punk compilations.

After leaving the band, Tesco co-performed and released the 1983 single "Cost of Living" for UK based independent label Albion Records with J. Walter Negro.^[3]

Albion Records was a label he had previously worked for as a producer (The Outpatients single "New Japanese Hairstyles" (1981)^[4]) and it was as a producer that he continued to work for the remainder of the decade - extensively for CBS, but also East West, WEA and Ariola.^[5]

In 1989, he appeared in Leningrad Cowboys Go America, written and directed by Aki Kaurismäki, a film about a fictional Russian rock band touring the US. This fictional band then toured and recorded in real life from 1990 until 1994.^[6] Leningrad Cowboys Go America was followed five years later by a sequel, Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994) and a concert film Total Balalaika Show (1994).^[7]

In 1998, he joined Music Week and produced the Music Week Directory from 1999 until 2009^[8] and also appeared in other films such as Iron Horsemen^[9] and I Hired a Contract Killer^[10] and BBC 6's Roundtable. ^[11]

In 2007, the Members reformed and toured the UK.^[12]

Lightowlers died aged 67 on 26 February 2022.^[13]

• Nick (Nicky) Tesco biographical videos.
• Nicky Tesco filmography
• Nick Tesco music review blog.