Bishops Back On The Trail
NME April 7th '79

The Bishops have decided to go ahead with their planned May tour, despite the loss of Zenon De Fleur, who died last month after a road accicent. Zen will be heard for the last time on the band's new album 'Crosscuts', which was completed two days before he died, and is now released at the end of May. It's preceded on April 27 by a single entitled 'Mr Jones', backed with 'Human Bean' and a live version of 'Route 66'. The Bishops will be joined on the tour by Blitz Krieg from the Blast Furnace band.

Bishops battle on
Sounds 7/4/79

The Bishops have decided to go ahead with their tour and album following the death of Zenon De Fleur after a car accident. The band will be joined by guitarist Blitz Krieg from Blast Furnace And...for the tour, and the album 'Crosscuts, which was completed just two days before Zen's car crash, will be released in May. It'll be preceded by a single, 'Mr Jones' on Chiswick on April 27.

Running With The Pack
Sounds 5/5/79

THE BISHOPS 'Mr Jones' (Chiswick) My love affair with the bishops has had several ups and downs and this Quo like effort is as solid as they come and distinguished by some splendid vocals and lead guitar work. But that aside, they've abandoned most of their earlier subtleties. It'll go down a storm live though.

The Bishops
1979

Cities on flame with rock and roll: leading Parisian venue The Stadium (or whatever that is in French) has burnt down, thereby making it difficult for forthcoming Thin Lizzy and Rush gigs to take place there. The last group to actually tread the stadium boards were French new wavers Starshooter. Lizzy's Gary Moore consoled himself by jamming with The Bishops at the end of their riotous two-night stand at London's Nashville, climaxing his appearance by flicking a guitar pick into the slavering audience. Flash bleeder - it wasn't even his pick....

Playing their Cardinals right
Sounds May 19, 1979

WAKEY, WAKEY!" cried Bishop Dave Tice to the inter-denominational cluster who had elected against The Members in favour of an air-conditioned dose of loose R&B at the Fan Club. It turned out to be one of those nights where (excluding the promoter) 150 people could not be wrong. Isolationists to the last man, The Bishops are really an Australian conspiracy (conceived by drummer Paul Balbi, and latterly by fellow Antipodean, vocalist Dave Tice) designed to gnae away at the fragile superstructure of postpunk. In strong contrast to the New Wave's phony social revolutionaries, these guys play it for laughs,and they do alright. As a commercial force, The Bishops have admittedly got more than their fair share of problems - most of which they bring on themselves. Technique they have, material they don't. It goes without saying that, Feelgoods occasionals aside all the best R&B cuts have been made, and that any band which opts for this genre needs songwriting IQ as badly as it needs stylistic suss.

In the former catergory, The Bishops are suspect: of the 'Crosscuts' songs, 'I Take what I Want' and 'Too Much Too Soon' work, but 'Your Daddy Won't Mind' and 'Good Times' are dated somethin' awful, while 'Heads Kicked in Tonight' is just plain retrogressive, redundant.
Still, as a live act, they cut it. Pooling resources, spreading the workload, this is a democratic outfit with their hearts, fingers and mouths in the right places. Tice, heavy on the Brilleaux clenched fist and the 'Yeah-uh-RIGHT!' intros, more than earned his supper, doing the songs the justice they didn't always deserve and blowing an adequate harp into the bargain, while Johnny Guitar threw in all the appropriate Green-Johnson-Mayo phrases and the self-concious Blitz Krieg (visually incongrous, feeling his way) delivered on rhythn and slide - often to great effect. All in all, an impressive showing. The bishops might not be in the same league as some of their more obvious genre peers, but time and experience will see them right.
Des Moines

Drummer goes and Bishops face crisis
1979

THE BISHOPS are facing their second crisis in three months. They decided to carry on as a group, after the tragic death of Zenon De Fleur in March - but they have now lost their Australian drummer Paul Balbi, who has had to return to his home country because his work permit has run out. He was stopped by UK immigration authorities when the band returned from a festival in Spain, and was told he couldn't enter the country. The Bishops have since taped a couple of radio sessions using a session drummer but, having lost two founder members, they are seriously considering their long-term future.

Bishops jinxed again
1979

THE BISHOPS continue to be beset by personal problems. Following the death of guitarist Zenon De Fleur after a car crash in March they have now lost their drummer, Paul Balbi from Australia. He was stopped by british immigration officers when the band returned from a festival in Barcelona and told that his work permit was out of date. He was then given the choice of being deported to Barcelona or of returning voluntarily to Australia. He eventually chose the latter. Balbi was a founding member of the band and the rest of the group are now debating their future. They've just done an Andy Peeles Radio One programme using a session drummer and are now contemplating the next step.

Spinaround with Derek Guille
Australasian Express June '79

THE BISHOPS, just recovering from the tragic death of guitarist Zenon De Fleur, have been hit with yet more trouble. Drummer Paul Balbi has flown back to Australia because of hassles with the Immigration Department. While he appeals to the home office, the band is forced to mark time, putting doubts over plans for a Scandanavian tour. However you can still get an earful of the Bishops from their latest L.P. "Cross Cuts" on Chiswick records CWK 3009. The album gives you lots of the good time, dirty rock 'n' roll that the band do oh so well.

The classic "I Take What I Want" starts it off with a thump, while the Dave Tice/Zenon de Fleur composition "Your Daddy Don't Mind" and the old Easybeats track "Good Times" stand out on side one. Side two keeps up the quality with with, among other things, a ripper version of "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight", originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac. "Cross Cuts is highly recommended for your next party, especially if you would like a change from the usual disco dance music that's taken over the turntables at everyone elses parties. If you need convincing, listen to the Bishops in a live session on the Andy Peeles Show, BBC Radio 1 early in July, with Peter Miles from Gulliver Smith's band sitting in on drums.