Les Pattinson

Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson in September 1987 backstage at the Greek Theatre – Berkeley, California
Background information
Birth name	Leslie Thomas Pattinson
Born	(1958-04-18) 18 April 1958 (age 58) Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Genres	Post-punk, alternative rock
Instruments	Bass
Years active	1978–1999, 2009–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Sire. Zoo. London.
Associated acts	Echo & the Bunnymen
Notable instruments
Fender Jazz Bass

Leslie Thomas "Les" Pattinson (born 18 April 1958 in Ormskirk, Lancashire) is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer with the Liverpool-based band, Echo & the Bunnymen, along with vocalist Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant. He was raised in Aughton, Lancashire and attended nearby Deyes High School in Maghull, where he became friends with classmate Will Sergeant.

Pattinson met up with Will Sergeant again in 1977 at the legendary Eric's Club in Liverpool. They were both regulars of the Eric's crowd, attending the club several times a week. Pattinson called himself 'Jeff Lovestone' and formed a band called The Jeffs, in which all the members were called 'Jeff'. He later formed another imaginary band called 'The Love Pastels' which consisted of lots of girls, all on vocals, and himself on vocals and bass. He also read poetry and bent neon lights on stage, going by the name of 'Neon Poet'. The poem 'Sand Man' that later appeared in the song 'Over The Wall' came from the 'Neon Poet' era.

During the early days at Eric's, Pattinson and Sergeant had befriended Ian McCulloch, another Eric's regular, who'd been in various bands which had rehearsed but not gigged. Sergeant and McCulloch began hanging out together and formed a band called Echo and the Bunnymen. They were offered a spot playing at Eric's alongside another Liverpool based band that had formed out of the Eric's crowd, called The Teardrop Explodes. Three days before their first show, Pattinson was asked to join Echo and the Bunnymen, despite having never previously played the bass. He'd bought a cheap Grant bass for £40 with only 3 strings. He would later replace that with the blue Fender Jazz Bass that he still uses.

Echo and the Bunnymen were now a 3 piece band with a drum machine, consisting of Sergeant on guitar, Pattinson on bass, and McCulloch on vocals. They played their debut show on 15 November 1978, at Eric's. Although the gig was short, it was received very enthusiastically. Bill Drummond and David Balfe, of Zoo Records, were in attendance that night and signed the band to the label. They were later signed to Korova, on the major label Sire/WEA. In 1979 Echo and the Bunnymen replaced their drum machine for drummer, Pete de Freitas.