Ganesh Seshadri aka Bid, frontman of The Monochrome Set, around 1979/80
underrated band an albums … likeeeeeeeeeeeee… the last 50 years certainly haven’t dulled the Monochrome Set’s sense of absurdity. As expected, over half a century there has been some wear and tear, with the band’s founder, Bid, and bassist Andy Warren, the only original members, making way on Lotus Bridge’s sixth studio effort for orchestral talents and sophisticated hooks on the Tapete label.
The Monochrome Set is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating “hidden gems” of British post-punk they operate on a level of erudite absurdity that often goes over the heads of the general public of the time.
While their contemporaries (like Joy Division or The Cure) delved into dark existentialism, the Monochrome Set preferred subtle irony, elegant mockery, and a sound that mixed sixties pop with a touch of intellectual “cabaret.”
The heart of the band is Bid (stage name of Ganesh Seshadri). With his polished vocal style and lyrics that seem straight out of a satirical play, he gave the band a very distinct visual and lyrical identity. He didn’t scream anguish; he whispered sarcasm.
Their sound, somewhere between Surf Rock and Jazz, unlike the industrial or gothic sound of 1979-1980, featured:
clean and fast guitars (courtesy of Lester Square), rhythms reminiscent of 1950s surf rock and bossa nova, with extremely catchy melodies that concealed bizarre or perverse lyrics.
They are the classic example of a “musician’s band.” Although they never reached the top of the charts, their influence is vast:
Morrissey and The Smiths – the influence on vocal delivery and lyrical irony is evident.
Franz Ferdinand Alex Kapranos has cited the group as a direct reference for the swing and style of his music.
The C86 scene: many indie pop bands from the 80s inherited this melodic lightness from The Monochrome Set.
These are some of my all-time favorite albums; if you want to dive into this universe, these are the starting points:
Strange Boutique (1980) where absurdity and post-punk energy collide.
Love Zombies (1980) the most refined album, with the classic “The Monochrome Set”.
Eligible Bachelors (1982) the peak of the band’s pop sophistication.
The band’s name came from the idea that they were the “black and white adjustment” in a world that was beginning to become saturated with garish colors and obvious synthesizers.
Lester Square & Ganesh Seshadri (Bid) of The Monochrome Set, 1979.
The partnership between Bid (Ganesh Seshadri) and Lester Square is one of the most underrated creative axes of British music.
They formed a duo where Bid’s cosmopolitan intellect met Lester’s angular and almost cinematic guitar technique.
Before Monochrome Set, both were part of the group The Ants (which would later become Adam and the Ants).
However, they left early because Adam Ant’s vision was becoming too “mass punk” and commercial.
Bid and Lester wanted something more cerebral, sophisticated and, above all, strange.
It was this dissent that gave rise to Monochrome Set in 1978.
The “Lester Square” style: the guitar that didn’t drink from Punk
Lester Square is often cited as one of the most original guitarists of his generation. While everyone else was using distortion and fifth chords (power chords), Lester played clean, influenced by:
60s surf music.
Gypsy jazz (Django Reinhardt).
Spy movie soundtracks.
He created a dry, percussive sound that became the band’s signature.
Bid, the lyricist of the absurd
Ganesh Seshadri (Bid) brought a rich cultural heritage (family of Indian origin) and a literary education that shone through in his lyrics. He wasn’t writing about direct political rebellion, but about bizarre fetishes, decadent colonialism, and social etiquette.
He personified the post-punk “dandy”: elegant, slightly aloof, and always with an ironic smile.
The band’s name came from the idea that they were the “black and white adjustment” in a world that was beginning to become saturated with garish colors and obvious synthesizers.
Bid, Lester Square and Andy Warren
Bid [Ganesh Seshadri] lead vocals, guitar, writer
Lester Square lead guitar, vocals, writer
Andy Warren bass guitar, vocals
J.D. Haney drums, percussion, vocals, writer
Bob Sargeant keyboard, vocals, producer
Lester Square,Thomas Woodburne Bruce,Hardy [birth name],
member of Adam and the Ants, The Invisible, The Monochrome Set
(born Thomas Hardy, 17 April 1954, Canada)
Andy Warren Andrew Peter Warren [birth name]
Member of Adam and the Ants, The Monochrome Set, Would-Be-Goods
The Monochrome Set were undone by their album covers, which paints them as akin to Crispy Ambulance or Joy Division.
Instead we get a fresh dose of English whimsy, courtesy an Indian prince (?) and his entourage.
Ganesh “Bid” Seshadri (The Monochrome Set), 15 March 2025, Le Hasard Ludique, 128 avenue de Saint-Ouen, 75018 Paris, France
Lester Square’s chiming guitar deserves special notice. It is akin to several bands from the time. He shares a love for spaghetti Western slap-back with Tim Lever of Modern Eon.
The clever articulation recalls Max Eider of The Jazz Butcher. And of course it sets the template for Johnny Marr’s work in the morose and far-inferior Smiths.
The spindly guitars, cool arch British vocals and jungle drums of “The Monochrome Set (I Presume)” are oh, so deliciously, quintessentially post punk.
The guitar sound was an obvious influence on Johnny Marr. “The Puerto Rican Fence Climber” sounds like something off The Smith’s first album.
There’s a lot of similarities to the Postcard Records sound of Orange Juice. It’s all very endearing and intelligent 80s jangle pop.
The jerky Go2-era XTC-sounding organ on the title track which closes the album
In the early 80s, the band signed with Virgin Records for the album Eligible Bachelors
There was a push for them to be the next pop stars, but Bid’s refusal to “simplify” his humor and Lester’s insistence on unconventional arrangements ensured they remained a cult favorite. They were “too smart for the Top 40”.
The Hiatus and Reunion
The band split up in 1985, with Lester pursuing a career in visual arts (he is a talented painter).
However, the chemistry between the two was so strong that they reunited again in the 90s and, more recently, in 2010.
Bid’s Health Problem (2010)
Bid suffered a severe brain aneurysm in 2010. Many thought it would be the end of the band.
Surprisingly, this sparked a creative renaissance.
Since their recovery, the band has released albums with an impressive frequency (almost one every two years), keeping Lester Square by their side at various points in this new phase.
The Japanese “Invasion”
Interestingly, while the UK ignored them, Monochrome Set became a gigantic influence in Japan, especially in the Shibuya-kei movement (bands like Pizzicato Five).
Bid and Lester are treated like musical deities in Tokyo.
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