Trixie's Big Red Motorbike

Trixie's Big Red Motorbike
Trixie's Big Red Motorbike performing in Osaka, Japan, July 2012.
Background information
Origin	Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Genres	Indiepop
Years active	1981-1985, 2012
Labels	Chew Records Lobby Lud Records Nathan Records In Der Tat Accident Records
Associated acts	Sarah Goes Shopping Marine Girls
Website	Trixieland back door
Members	Jane Litten (vocals, keys) Mark Litten (programming, guitar, backing vocals) Ai Matsuda (backing vocals, percussion)
Past members	Melanie Litten (vocals)

Trixie's Big Red Motorbike are an indie pop band formed on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, in 1981.

They released two singles, one EP and one flexidisc. A vinyl compilation album of their music was released by Accident Records in 1995.

A retrospective album was released on Lobby Lud Records in February 2012.

In 1981 telephone technician Mark Litten and his sixth-former sister Melanie began performing cover versions of songs by The Undertones and Marine Girls. At this time they were known as 'Pocket Money'. These early recordings are now lost. Their first original song was "Invisible Boyfriend", and this became their first single under the name Trixie's Big Red Motorbike. This was recorded at "Trixieland"-a box-room in their house on the Isle of Wight. The recording equipment was very primitive, and the single was one of the first "lo-fi" releases in the UK. Only 100 copies were pressed, and the record came with photocopied sleeves and no labels.

A copy of the single was sent to BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who played it on his show and invited the band to record a session. On 28 July 1982 they recorded four songs, and these were broadcast on 24 August.

Their second record was the EP Five Songs, recorded in Portsmouth. 500 copies were pressed, and this also came with photocopied sleeves.

By this time TBRM had become friendly with Jane Fox of Marine Girls, and she was invited to join them for their second John Peel session, recorded 17 August 1983. She also joined them for a recording session at Rod Gammons Sound Studio on the Isle of Wight. At this session three songs were recorded: "That's the End of That", which was released as a 7" flexidisc,"Norman and Narcissus" and "In Timbuktu". Their next single release was "Norman and Narcissus" (Lobby Lud Records). This was the band's first and only entry in the UK Indie Chart, peaking at number 29.

In 1984 a compilation album of Isle of Wight bands was released. TBRM contributed two tracks: "When He's by my Side" and "Fairytales". These were the last studio recordings by the band. In 1986 a compilation cassette of various indie bands was released by In Der Tat, a German record company. TBRM contributed two tracks: "That's Quite a Lot" and "I'm Gonna Ride Away", both recorded at Trixieland. Around this time Melanie moved off of the Isle of Wight, and TBRM disbanded. Mark contributed one song "Once I've Seen Him", and played guitars on an EP by Sarah Goes Shopping, a band formed by Twa Toots leader Sarah Brown. The TBRM song "That's the End of That" was covered by the New York band The Poconos.