"[2] The band have cited Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Cardiacs, Philip Glass and Can as central influences over the years, "mixed up with all sorts of post-punk albums of the time (Return Of The Duritti Column, Marquee Moon, Wilder by Teardrop Explodes, Killing Joke....)" as well as "old jazz, Trumpton music, plus all the usual Mojo reader's old records.
"[1] Zag And The Coloured Beads were formed in Croydon and began playing live in 1982 (although demo tapes had been recorded as far back as 1979).
[1] Robert White departed in late 1988 to concentrate on Ring and subsequently Levitation and The Milk And Honey Band (he would eventually be joined in the latter by Tubb).
Paul Howard left in 1989 and the band continued for a while as a trio of Steve Arthur, Mik Tubb and Tom Rosenbloom.
Steve Arthur recalls "without Paul to share bass duties with Mik, we stopped swapping instruments around...
Initially I wanted to get away from the Beads' jokiness, and be taken seriously, ma-a-n, so in (came) a mixture of more straightforward rock, woozy atmospheres and non-specific angst.
Steve Arthur, Michael Tubb and Paul Howard reformed Zag And The Coloured Beads in 2006 with new members James Larcombe (keyboards, from Stars In Battledress and North Sea Radio Orchestra) and Keith Roche (drums).
To date, the revived band has not released any new recordings, although both Loaf of Legs and Sawtooth Gripmaster were reissued as CD albums to sell at live concerts.