The Delmontes were a Edinburgh indiepop quintet active between 1979 and 1983. Original members were Mike Berry (guitar), Gordon Simpson (bass), Bernice Simpson (drums), vocalist Julie Hepburn (nee Hogg) and keyboard player Gillian Miller.
The roots of the band lie in an earlier outfit called Strange Daze, with a keen interest in The Doors, although Mike and Gordon's burgeoning interest in garage and psychedelic music soon expanded to include the 13th Floor Elevators, Seeds, Electric Prunes, Red Crayola and Golden Dawn, along with the seminal Nuggets compilation album. Along with Ronnie Gurr and John McTernan, Mike Berry and Gordon Simpson were also responsible for punk fanzine Hanging Around, a cultural mix reflected in Strange Daze's valiant attemps to fuse vintage psychedelia with contemporary post-punk.
The band's progress was enhanced by the recruitment of accomplished keyboard player Gillian Miller, complete with vintage Farfisa organ and handy backing vocals, and by the end of the year Strange Daze had become The Delmontes. Much of 1980 was spent rehearsing, and playing live dates around Scotland with the likes of Orange Juice, Fire Engines, Revillos and The Associates, at venues including Teviot Row in Edinburgh and Paisley's celebrated Bungalow Bar.
The band released just two singles on indie label Rational Records: Tous les Soirs (1980) and Don't Cry Your Tears (1981). Boasting a poised avant-retro sound and vision (three of the five band members were female), the band anticipated several later indie trends, including C86, Creation, Sarah and TweeNet. Both DinDisc and Zoo Records competed to sign the group, who completed a full UK tour with the Teardrop Explodes, but sadly this potential went unfulfilled, and The Delmontes split at the beginning of 1983.
