Blue Steam were a Belfast band and were, From left to right on photo above : Dave Bloomfield, keyboards and sax, Dave Kirkwood, vocals and harmonica, John Lee, drums, Simon Lloyd, sax, John Nelson, guitar and vocals and Joe Sharpe on bass and vocals.

Their one and only released appeared on the Rip Off Record label in 1978. ’Lizard King’, received a remarkable, eye-catching sleeve as opposed the traditional trademark Rip Off records ‘brown paper bag sleeves’. Lizard King was written by guitarist John Nelson while the flip side, ‘Cortina Cowboys’ is a collaboration between Nelson and Blue Steam’s drummer John Lee. The single received airplay from John Peel on BBC Radio 1 and even reached the British Top 100. Drummer John Lee went on to play in The Tearjerkers and Katmandu. He sadly passed away from a brain haemorrhage. Simon Lloyd later found fame as part of mid 80’s Australian band Icehouse. Bass player Joe Sharpe would later team up with some ex Tearjerkers to play in Etc Etc.

Blue Steam played some memorable gigs, including 22nd September 1977, support to Dr Feelgood at the Ulster Hall. In April 1978 they supported Stiff Little Fingers on their ‘End of the world tour’ which saw them play gigs from Cork to Larne. Cobra were also on the tour, however, they were later replaced by Curse.Blue Steam were also support to The Boomtown Rats on their 1978 visit to Belfast. The band played far and wide, from Omagh, to Dublin, in dives like The Pound Club in Belfast to the relevant splendour of the Golf Links Hotel in Portrush.

If anyone has any further information or photographs of this band, then please DO get in contact via spit77to82@aol.com