Limelight -

Limelight was an English NWOBHM trio that released a 1980 self-titled album on Future Earth, followed by the 1982 single “Ashes to Ashes.”

Members: Mike Scrimshaw (vocals, guitar, bass), Glenn Scrimshaw (guitar), Ian Beestin (drums), Clive Jackson (keyboards), John Dakin (bass), Trevor Wilson (bass), Jimmy Stephenson (drums), Pat Coleman (drums), John Brierly (vocals)

Background

Limelight had its roots in the late 1960s when Mansfield brothers Mike and Glenn Scrimshaw formed their first band. They secured a deal with Deram for the September 1972 single “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me,” a Mac Davis cover backed with “I’ll See You On Sunday,” a recent song by the American duo Mancini & Fox.

In 1980, the Scrimshaws surfaced in a Limelight trio configuration with drummer Pat Coleman. They signed with Future Earth Records, a Doncaster indie with purveyors of ska (Deemus Mint) and new wave (Helsinki 5 Below, B.T.P. Folders, Back Seat Romeos).

Limelight

Limelight released their self-titled album in 1980 on Future Earth. It features five songs by Mike Scrimshaw and two (“Knife In Your Back,” “Mamma”) by Glenn Scrimshaw.

Glenn plays lead guitar and Mellotron on Limelight, which features Mike on lead vocals, bass, keyboards, Taurus pedals, and guitar (second lead).

Limelight balances steady-churn riffs with layered atmospheres and brief mellotron swells that widen the tonal palette without softening the attack. “Man of Colours” stretches the furthest, pairing open-chord sustain with gradual dynamic buildup before a long, contoured guitar solo crests the final section. Faster tracks lean on clipped rhythm work and group vocal breaks, while mid-tempo numbers like “Limelight” shift between suspended phrases and sudden rhythmic swells. Throughout, the pacing stays tight, with restrained instrumental breaks and short harmonic detours that never pull too far from the structure.

A1. “Going Home” (6:05)
A2. “Knife In Your Back” (3:46)
A3. “Mamma (I Don’t Wanna Lose Ya)” (3:54)
A4. “Man of Colours” (7:46)

B1. “Metal Man” (3:53)
B2. “Walk On Water” (4:14)
B3. “Don’t Look Back” (7:57)

Sessions took place at Matrix Studio, where Limelight co-produced the album with Future Earth founder David Moffitt, a soundman on the 1978 folk-psych album No Horse Town by Charlie Webster. Limelight was engineered by Matrix staffer Nick Bradford, whose prior credits include 1975–76 albums by Charlie (No Second Chance), Curved Air, Elton John, Genesis (A Trick of the Tail), Headstone, and the Stomu Yamash’ta–Steve Winwood collaborative effort Go, plus recent titles by Anthony Phillips (Sides), Gong, Nucleus, Wilding–Bonus (Pleasure Signals), and Bernard Szajner.

In June 1980, Limelight released “Metal Man” as a single, backed with the non-album “Hold Me, Touch Me,” a Mike Scrimshaw original.

Future Earth first issued Limelight as a UK-only release (FER 008) in a two-tone cover (black, gray) with a back-cover group photo by one “Metin.” In 1981, Limelight reappeared in a lime-green cover on Avatar Record & Screenworks Ltd (UK, Italy, Greece).

“Ashes to Ashes”

On October 15, 1982, Limelight released the standalone single “Ashes to Ashes” backed with “Knife In Your Back,” both Glenn Scrimshaw originals.

A. “Ashes to Ashes” (3:41)
B. “Knife In Your Back”

In 1984, the Belgian metal label Mausoleum Records reissued Limelight’s 1980 album as Ashes to Ashes with the 1982 a-side added as the opening track.

Discography: