[1] The Janitors were Andrew Denton (vocals), Craig Hope (lead guitarist, keyboards), Pete Crowe (bass guitar), and Tim Stirland (drums).
Described as "a mixture of Membranes meeting Captain Beefheart", they signed to Marc Riley's In-Tape label, releasing their debut single, "Chicken Stew" in July 1985 (on which Hope played all of the instruments).
[2] In anticipation of the single's release, Denton and Hope moved to Newcastle to recruit bassist Simon Warnes, however Crowe took his place bringing along fellow art student Tim Stirland as drummer (replacing the drum machine of the first single).
[2] The band recorded three sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, one each year between 1985 and 1987.
American Bobo Nando picked up the mike, contributing to one new song "Billy Psycho".