THE COLLECTION ROCKS OFF
With an eye-watering guitar and amp collection equally matched by our host’s generous hospitality and the small matter of a 1959 Les Paul Standard used on one of the greatest rock’n’ roll albums of all time, we wish we could be forced into exile on Simon White’s street. But far from being merely a collector of vintage instruments, northerner Simon White’s career highlights include being a member of one of the most unique UK bands of the 1970s. “I was in a band called Albertoy Lost Trios Paranoias,” he says. “We used to have a lot of fun onstage. We took the music seriously but didn’t take ourselves seriously at all.”
The Manchester outfit were a joyously eccentric group who ruthlessly parodied the musical acts of the time, blending uniquely British comedy with spectacular musical ability that often surpassed the acts that they were paying ‘tribute’ to. Audiences the length of the country left equally enthralled, entertained and bemused by their live shows. During the 1970s they not only opened for Hawkwind but also topped the bill on numerous tours and were supported by acts such as Blondie, The
